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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27743608">The Wisteria Princess and The White Knight</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/MorganFaire/pseuds/MorganFaire'>MorganFaire</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Mysterious Shinigami [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Bleach</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Abuse, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Gen, Nudity, Original Character(s), Other, Pre-Canon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-20 11:29:04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>36,445</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27743608</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/MorganFaire/pseuds/MorganFaire</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>We take a journey one hundred and thirty six years into the past to learn more about the 'mysterious shinigami'.<br/>**This is a companion story and is best read after CHAPTER NINE of 'Return to Seireitei, Mysterious Shinigami!' (a.k.a RTSMS)**<br/>[[2021 UPDATES: Edits and other minor changes, 3/11 chapters complete.]]</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Mysterious Shinigami [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1997437</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Prologue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>AUTHOR’S NOTE</p><p>This is a novel based on Kubo Taito’s Bleach universe, and will use facts, plot lines and information gathered from the manga serialisation. No mention will be made to the anime ‘filler’ arcs, such as the Bount arc or the Zanpakutou materialisation storyline. This is a prequel/companion novel to ‘The Mysterious Shinigami’ series beginning with “Volume One: Return to Seireitei”, in order to explore the backstory of our main character.<br/>For the most authentic reading experience, please read to at least Chapter NINE of Volume One first!<br/>Names and vocabulary will be presented as close to the original Japanese as possible; Shinigami, not soul reaper. Zanpakutou, not soul slayer. The same goes for character names: Kurosaki Ichigo, not Ichigo Kurosaki. Additionally, some words and phrases just make more sense when left in Japanese, so these will be shown in italicised romaji.  </p><p>This story contains the following themes that may be upsetting and/or inappropriate for some audiences: scenes of violence, descriptions of gore, and references to both sexual assault and physical/mental abuse.</p>
    </blockquote><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Content Warning: this chapter makes references to child abuse &amp; physical injuries.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>See end notes for definitions/translations of words found in bold italics.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em><strong> Soul Society</strong> </em>
</p><p> </p><p>In order to understand the present, we must occasionally swing the pendulum back to the past. To be exact, we must now travel one hundred and thirty-six years into the past. The way has opened, will you enter through this window into the past? Our story begins.</p><p>     The soul that we will come to know as the shinigami Fujimori Michiko did not enter Soul Society in what could be considered the standard way: Most souls sent to reside here came from the real world, and had existed as humans. When they lose connection to their human vessels, they will be granted passage back to the great wheel of reincarnation. Whilst they are waiting for the large wheel to once again call on them to enter a new vessel, the soul emerges somewhere in the expansive dimension known as Soul Society. For every one hundred souls that rejoin the society in this way, ninety nine will retain the appearance of their previous vessel, as well as memories of how, where and when they lived and died. The one hundredth soul will not, for this soul has already been designated to take on a new existence. This type of soul is usually a ‘young soul’; a rather peculiar term that refers to a soul that has not passed through the cycle of rebirth more than once. These ‘young souls’ have a greater resilience and are able to easily adjust to a soul form. They begin their ‘lives’ as residents of Soul Society in the form of an infant. If the infant is born inside the upper echelons of society, it is likely that they will survive past infancy and find themselves possessing greater spiritual power than the other ninety nine souls that had entered the society in the standard way. If one or both of the parents also possess spiritual powers, then it becomes very likely that the child will one day become an elite shinigami.</p><p>     Alas, I have digressed too far into the theology of reincarnation. Fujimori Michiko was born to the noble house Fujimori under the celestial sign of the twins. Unbeknownst to her, she would be the last child born to her parents. She was born in the shadows of siblings who had been too fragile to survive, and ones who had been cursed by disfigurations. Her mother grew to hate her as she continually failed to conceive, and had often accused the toddler called Michiko of making her barren. Her father had protected her for a short time before he too began to resent his youngest offspring; the family’s prestige and place among the noble houses had been at risk, and no matter how many noble elders he presented the girl to, none trusted that she would survive long enough to marry their sons. Her siblings had also turned against her, having drunk from the poison well that her parents had been corrupting.</p><p>     In her first fifteen years of life, Michiko had often wondered if she would have fared better if she had been born to a different family, or if she had passed over the great wheel and into the human world. Most of all, she thought of how different her life would have been had she be born in the manor on top of the hill. If her name had been Ukitake Michiko, how much better would her life have been? Jyuushirou always treated her better than her entire family, and often made time to visit with her regardless of his duties as a shinigami.</p><p> </p><hr/><p>     On one particularly dark winter night, Michiko had snuck out of the Fujimori house and hobbled all the way up the hill. She was bleeding, broken and bruised. </p><p>     “Halt! Who goes there?” the guard had started moving towards her. “Wait, aren’t you…Fujimori-sama!? What in the names of the Gods,” the guard, whose name was too difficult for a young Michiko to remember, gently carried her into the Ukitake manor.</p><p>     When she had awoken some hours later, Jyuushirou was sitting at her bedside. She had tried to smile at the sudden role reversal, but she felt far too broken — physically and emotionally — to do anything at all. He was wearing his <em><strong>shihakushou</strong></em>, and Michiko worries that he may have pushed himself too hard in order to get home from <strong><em>Seireitei</em></strong>. “Jyuushi?” she asked at a whisper. Her throat felt as though it had been crushed.</p><p>     “Thank the Gods! Mikko,” there was such sadness and worry on his face, but his eyes were aflame with anger. “You are never going back to that house. Even if I have to sneak you into Seireitei myself!” As he spoke, he had helped her take a painful but much needed sip of water. In the lull of conversation, the air is pierced by the sound of bells.</p><p>     Though startled by the sudden noise, it is not until a guard arrives outside of the room that they take much notice. “Fire, Ukitake-sama! At the Fujimori estate!”</p><p>     “What!? Have any guards gone down there?”</p><p>     “Yessir, A company of five!”</p><p>     “Right,” he says. “Please come and carry Mikko to our safe room.”</p><p>     The man hesitates. “Ukitake-sama, that room is only for the noble family!”</p><p>     “Yes. Mikko is now a part of this family! Do you understand?”</p><p>     “Understood.”</p><hr/><p>     It was the morning of the next day before the flames had finally been extinguished. One by one, the bodies of the once noble Fujimori family were recovered, and it had quickly become apparent that they had all already been dead by the time the flames had reached them. Among the curious onlookers that had gathered, there were whispers of righteous justice, revenge and vengeance being exacted upon the family who had killed one of their own. A man with long silver hair was paying close attention to those whispers and the villagers who had uttered them. Ukitake Jyuushirou had requested emergency leave in order to personally oversee the recovery process, and the presence of the black shihakushou combined with the white Captain’s <strong><em>haori</em></strong> on the grounds of the property had prevented thieves and scoundrels from looting anything that had survived the flames. </p><p>     When Jyuushirou returned to his family's home later that evening, a second shinigami had followed close behind him carrying a small chest. The tall man had introduced himself as Captain Kyouraku Shunsui as he had brought the chest into the room that Michiko had been given. </p><p>     After almost half a year spent recovering from her injuries and regaining her strength, Michiko was able to enroll in the Spiritual Arts Academy. </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Want to read more about what happened when Shunsui met Michiko? Check out 'The Little Owl'!</p><p>Shihakushou - 'Death garments', this is the 'official' term for the 'shinigami uniform'.<br/>Seireitei - 'Court of Pure Souls', the circular 'city' where shinigami work (and sometimes live).<br/>Haori - A type of jacket/outer coat worn with a kimono.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Day One: Shin'ou Academy</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Warnings: Rape (limited description, but it happens) &amp; graphic descriptions of death. Partial nudity.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>UPDATED 2021/01/23, minor changes/improvements, incl. rape warning.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em> Big day tomorrow! The first step on my journey to becoming a shinigami like Jyuushi-nii, Shuushuu and Kaikai! My student robe hangs at the bottom of my bed, but no matter how much I begged for Moto-san to label them with the Ukitake name, she refused! Jyuushi said that because I enrolled under my family name, everything that I take should also have that name. I tried to argue, saying that it would not matter what name was affixed to these garments, because only I would see them! I may have also suggested that only a pervert would want to look for those labels, especially on my <strong>shitagi</strong>! </em>
</p><p>
  <em> …he wore such a funny look on his face after that. </em>
</p><p> Mikko-chan’s <span class="u"><strong>PRIVATE</strong></span> Diary.</p><hr/><p> </p><p>     A sixteen year old Fujimori Michiko stands in the central courtyard of the Academy for the first time wearing the academy’s student uniform of a white <em><strong>kosode</strong> </em>and a red <strong><em>hakama</em></strong>. Due to her particularly small stature, she has already been jostled many times by eager students wanting to reach the front of the crowd, regardless of the fact that it would make no difference. The names of the students would be called according to a list, Jyuushirou had told her. The top names on that list would be those who had scored highest in the entry exams, and she quietly hopes that at least one student had beaten her own score, just so that her name would not be the first to be called. The jostling continues, but she will not draw attention to herself by reacting. Instead, she scrunches her hands into the pockets of her hakama, clenching them to the point where her nails dig into her palms. The constant jostling, however, does not even make the top three on her personal list of annoyances. The top spot on that list belongs to her body. Namely, she hates how she has to crane her neck to look at anyone.</p><p>     Across the courtyard and wearing a blue hakama, a young male student had already spotted the short girl with the purple hair and silver eyes.</p><hr/><p> </p><p>     After barely one week of classes, Fujimori Michiko had made exactly zero friends and approximately thirty enemies. She was also keenly aware of the rumours that had started as soon as her name had been called on that first day. In that moment, she had realised that nearly all of the students at the Academy would still remember the Fujimori fire, and the scandals that had surrounded it until recently. </p><p>    She had been bedridden for almost two months when she had overheard some of the staff speaking of how her father had slaughtered one of her lovers. After much pleading, Jyoushirou and Shunsui had finally confirmed to her the horrid truth: the man, who had been the only son of the local village leader, had been slain by her father in full view of his family and friends. It took another three months before those villagers finally admitted to the revenge killings of the household. In that time, however, news of Michiko’s survival had spread, and with it the baseless rumours that she had killed her own family and set the blaze to cover up her crimes.  </p><p>     She was hounded and surrounded in the corridors and in the common areas, and soon enough they had dropped her name entirely in favour of calling her <strong><em>saseko</em></strong>. She refused to let them win. Instead of withdrawing into a bubble of self-loathing and becoming invisible, she pushed herself to become the best shinigami that had ever graduated from the Academy. She worked from dawn until dusk, running laps of the campus with the rising of the sun, before leaping between the trees and running at full speed over walls and ledges. She studied every part of the <strong><em> zankensoki </em> </strong>relentlessly and tirelessly, constantly finding new ways to combine the techniques. She did this every single day before classes began. After her classes, she would hound the lecturers with questions, and when they could not or would not answer her, she would read, research, and study. </p><p>     Soon enough, the once constant sparkle in her eyes dimmed and would only shine when she could exact her own type of revenge on those who sought to hurt her. Instead of reacting to the verbal and physical confrontations by lashing out, Michiko absorbed the emotions behind the words and actions before releasing every drop of them into her combative studies and practices. The anger and the hatred went into her kidou, and the envy and the rage were channeled into her combat exercises. Each and every day, she was the reason that the infirmary was so busy.</p><p>     As the end of the first semester loomed ever closer, the young Michiko had already accepted that she would never find a friendly face amongst the sneering, loathing, hateful masses that surrounded her. It would be the next night, under a clear and star filled sky, that she would finally be proven wrong.</p><hr/><p>    </p><p>Since the very first day at the academy, there is one student who has been closely observing Fujimori Michiko. He has heard the vicious rumours and the acid coated words that are thrown at her. He has seen every intentional push and shove that would send her to the infirmary if she drops her guard for a single moment. He has watched as she continues to walk with her head held high, with the abusive actions and words seemingly sliding off her like water from a duck’s back. Amongst all of the hatred and the jealousy, this single student has been admiring the beautiful and tenacious girl. So far, no matter how close he comes to approaching her, and regardless of how often he feels drawn towards her, he has been keeping his distance. But all of that was about to change. As the first semester was drawing to a close, he has been having a recurring dream. Every night, he finds himself surrounded by a tornado of cherry blossom petals. Occasionally he catches one of these petals that swirl around him, only to find that it is as sharp as a blade’s edge, and he hears whispering. A voice trying to reach him amidst the noise of the storm. Each night, he only sees an inky expanse of darkness beyond the storm.</p><p>On this night, something new was about to happen.</p><p>     The tornado pulsates with an increasing sense of urgency. As he has done every night, he looks up through the eye of the storm. Instead of the usual pitch blackness he had grown accustomed to seeing, he sees the glow of the moon. The tornado closes in around him until he can no longer see the night sky, forming a sphere of rushing petals. For the first time, he hears the voice as clearly as his own.</p><p>
  <em>      “…she needs…you…” </em>
</p><p>     “Who?!” He had to shout over the roar of the tornado.</p><p><em>      “The girl!” </em> The tornado spins faster before suddenly collapsing around him, and he is standing in one of the smaller courtyards of the Academy. He recognises it instantly from the blossoming cherry trees, lining the path between the dormitory buildings, that were now glowing beneath the moon. All is silent, but he finds himself unable to move. Paralysed, even when a shrill scream pierces his soul. The heap of petals at his feet were now stained crimson. <em>“Wake up!” </em></p><p>     He jolts awake and finds himself covered in a cold sweat. With his heart pounding in his chest, he rises from his bed as something, or someone, calls for him to don his student robes…and run.</p><hr/><p>    </p><p>Just under an hour earlier, Fujimori Michiko had been stargazing in the courtyard between the dormitory buildings when she had fallen asleep. She had not noticed the two figures hiding in the shadows. She did not hear as the two sets of sandalled feet moved across the grass towards her. She remained blissfully unaware when the two men had dragged her to the nearby tree and started ripping her uniform from her body.</p><p>     Throughout it all, she dreams that she is floating amongst the stars. She had decided to stargaze that evening after she kept seeing the constellations in her dreams. Each night, a new constellation would glow brighter against the sky and call out to her, but no matter how hard she tried, she could never hear what they were saying. </p><p>     Tonight, fourteen of the twenty eight lunar mansions glow brightly. To the east, the domain of the azure dragon (<strong><em>seiryuu</em></strong>), and to the west, the domain of the white tiger (<strong><em>byakko</em></strong>). The night sky seems to be shrinking before her eyes, with the various constellations dimming and moving out of sight for the two guardians. Soon enough, Michiko can see the two domains without turning her head, and she feels strangely calm as the warm starlight envelops her. </p><p>     She smiles as the two domains finally come together above her, and she opens her heart to the feelings of love, of coming together with another person against all of the odds. She floats through the open sky as those thoughts cross her mind, and soon she feels the growing presence of the guardians. She is close enough to them, or perhaps they had come closer to her, for her to stretch her fingers and touch what she imagines to be the tiger’s head. Then, the head of the dragon is within reach of her other hand. For the first time since moving to the Academy, Michiko feels at home. Something stirs deep inside her soul, and the two guardians roar. The stars converge in a flash of blinding light as they take their true forms and leap towards her. </p><p>     She screams as she finally wakes up, but she has no idea if the scream stays within the realm of her dream, or if it carries through to the living nightmare she now finds herself in. </p><p>     The scene before her eyes becomes more horrifying the longer she looks at it, but she cannot stop staring at the two bodies at her feet. They were only recognisable as male students by the shreds of the two blue shitagi and hakama that were quickly being stained crimson. In the light of the moon, she sees the glistening pools of blood around their necks. A shiver runs through her body, and it is only then that she notices the state of her own uniform. Her hakama had been slashed from just below the waistband down to the hem, but her kosode and shitagi were nowhere to be seen. With the realisation of what had happened becoming clearer by the second, Michiko slides down the trunk of the tree and brings her knees to her chest. Through the tears that were quickly gathering in her eyes, she sees the large and foreboding forms of the blue dragon and the white tiger turn to face her. Blood drips from the tiger’s maw.</p><p>     She can only speak in a strangled whisper, “Please…please don’t hurt me!”</p><p>     The two beasts look at each other before the dragon slowly pads towards her. Michiko tries to scream, but she cannot produce anything other than a pathetic whimper as the dragon reaches her. Before her eyes, the creature shrinks and grows wings as it slowly climbs up her legs and onto her torso, using those newly formed wings to cover her bare chest. Michiko weeps as the large tiger drags the bodies away from her.</p><p> </p><p>     The student who had dreamt of bloodsoaked petals finally runs into the courtyard he had seen in his dream, only to be paralysed by the sight of the large white tiger prowling around the tree that stands tall near the centre of the area. At the base of that tree, all he can make out is a strange winged creature. With a low, guttural growl, the first beast bounds towards him. After staring at him for what feels like an eternity, the tiger widens its bloodsoaked maw, baring its teeth before turning its head towards the mutilated students.</p><p>The young student follows the beast’s purposeful movements, and feels the blood drain from his face as he sees them. “Please, I won’t tell…” A barely audible sob interrupts his plea, and it comes from the direction of the tree and the winged creature. When he focuses, he can make out the pale flesh that is being embraced by the second beast. His heart lurches in his chest, urging him forward, but forward would mean walking straight towards the tiger that was still staring at him. He turns his attention back to it and whispers, “I came to help.”</p><p>     The white beast blinks slowly and deliberately before lowering its body into something resembling a bow. He hopes that the gesture is to give him permission to pass, and quickly bends his torso in response before moving towards the tree. As he approaches, he sees the long purple hair of the girl he had been watching and admiring since the first day. The beast that lays across her chest is now discernable as a small, blue dragon. It lazily opens one of its eyes to observe his approach, and when he stops walking, it nuzzles against the cheek of the girl as if to communicate.</p><p>     Her face is wet with tears and blood as she lifts her head. With fear in her large silver eyes she speaks barely above a whisper, “No. Please, don’t…”</p><p>     He is unable to speak, so he instead slowly lowers himself to kneel on the blood soaked grass. As he does so, he can see why the strange dragon is embracing her. After quickly averting his gaze, he removes his own kosode before offering it to the girl. He closes his eyes and strains his neck as far to the side as he can to give her some sense of privacy. </p><p>     Despite the situation, or perhaps in spite of it, she wants to laugh at the unknown boy’s innocence. When she reaches for the offered garment, she brushes her fingers past his, and the kindness of his gesture quells the storm raging inside her. The small dragon moves to coil around her shoulders as she pulls the kosode across her chest, and she sighs softly as his residual body heat and scent seep into her skin. She shifts into a kneeling position to tie it closed around her waist, and smiles when she sees the boy still dutifully twisting his neck away from her.</p><p>     “Thank you. Would you please tell me your name, my <em> hogosha </em>-sama?” </p><p>      He blushes as he turns back to her. “Kuchiki Byakuya.”</p><p>     “Byakuya…my guardian. I am Fujimori Michiko.”</p><p>     “I know. May I walk you to your room?”</p><p>     “I would like that very much,” she paused as the tiger pads towards her and shrinks in size as the dragon had done earlier. As both beasts nuzzle affectionately against her cheeks, they slowly disappear. Against the tree, two swords appear where they had stood. She smiles as she realises that this could only mean one thing; her zanpakutou had formed.</p><p>     The student named Byakuya is surprised as she stands up holding the twinned blades, not only because it was exceptionally rare for a zanpakutou to split into two blades, but also because it should have been impossible for her to have already forged her zanpakutou. With no scabbards or any other way of carrying them safely, she tucks them into the waistband of her hakama. They walk slowly and silently along the tree lined path, because despite what has just happened, they both find that they are rather reluctant to reach their destination. Byakuya walks with his hands clasped behind his back, fighting against something that feels like an instinct, that was urging him to take her hand in his, and to never let go. His heart pounds in his chest, and it threatens to stop completely when he risks glancing at the girl walking next to him. </p><p>     Michiko finally speaks. “I would like to offer you a spare kosode of my own, but that would leave me with none,” they reach her room. “If you would please wait a moment, I will return this to you,” before he can respond, she slips through the screen door. </p><p>     In less than two minutes, she emerges wearing a long kimono with a cherry blossom motif, and the kosode neatly folded under her arm, “I believe that I could never truly repay your kindness, but I should like to try regardless,” she bites her lip slightly before raising her heels off the floor and placing a quick peck on his cheek. If he had reacted quicker, he could have turned his face ever so slightly so that her lips would have pressed against his own. Instead, all he can do is hope that his face isn’t too flushed as he accepts his kosode from her. “Good night, my white knight.”</p><hr/><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Shitagi - lit. underclothes, refers rather broadly to any garment worn under the shihakushou/kimono.<br/>Kosode - the 'top part' of a shihakushou. Academy students all wear white kosode.<br/>Hakama - the skirt/trouser half of the uniform, which is red for female students and blue for the males. The shitagi worn underneath matches this colour.<br/>Saseko - 'easy girl'/'floozy'<br/>Zankensoki - the four core components of the shinigami skill set. 'Zan' represents the sword ; 'Ken' symbolises the fist (hand-to-hand combat) ; 'So' is speed (shunpo) ; 'Ki' means spirit and encompasses kidou and kaidou.<br/>Hogosha - meaning guardian/protector. Can also be applied to parental figures.<br/>**Though not presented in romaji, I will explain the meaning of 'white knight'!** It is the eastern equivalent of a 'knight in shining armour' from our fairy-tales in the west. Translated literally, the japanese 'hakuba no kishi' means 'white horse of a samurai'!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. The next morning</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>UPDATED 2021/01/23 : some very minor edits.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Michiko had watched as the night sky had slowly faded away to the sunrise. It had been a long and painful night with no sleep as she had discovered numerous bruises, and a large vertical slash that ran down from her navel. She did not have the physical or mental strength to do any of her morning routine, so she instead sat at her desk and wrote letters. First to Jyoushirou, to apologise for disappointing him. Secondly, she wrote to Shunsui and thanked him for his kindness since the moment he had entered her life on the worst day of her existence almost a year ago. Finally, she penned a letter to her White Knight. She wrote how grateful she was that he had come to the courtyard and helped her regain at least some of her decency, but she also apologised for involving him in her situation. As she completed the final stroke of her farewell, the sound of the emergency bell echoed across the campus.</p><p>     The ringing of the emergency bell is a foreign sound to the majority of students and indeed most of the staff, and there is initially a lot of confusion over protocol and procedures. In the intermissions between the bell rings, an announcement plays over the tannoy system.</p><p>     “<em>All students are to remain in their dormitories until members of the faculty arrive to escort you to the auditorium. Only leave your rooms once a staff member has told you to do so. Your full cooperation is expected</em>.” </p><p>     It was the beginning of the end for Michiko. She had already packed her small amount of personal belongings back into the chest that had survived the fire a year ago, and her zanpakutou was also in that chest, wrapped in her ruined hakama and stuffed right to the bottom.</p><p>     After an hour of pacing and constantly checking that her stomach wound isn't bleeding through the hastily applied bandages, the staff members finally arrive. As she slides her door open, she hopes that the expression on her face matches that of the other students, a look of simple and innocent concern about what was happening. She keeps her head high as she joins the back of the line, but her eyes are downcast. The murmuring amongst the line of students increases as they walk past the courtyard; the doors had been barricaded, archways blocked, and windows covered, so that no one could see what was happening out there. Progress towards the auditorium is painfully slow, and stops completely as the line of female students meets with the male students in one of the main corridors. Michiko has to stop herself from looking for her savior as the two lines walk alongside each other, and her skin prickles with heat whenever any of the boys so much as glances in her general direction. The lines of students finally reach the auditorium, but as Michiko watches her line slowly decrease as they filter into the large room, she notices that the boys are being held back with whispers of a head count being conducted. She keeps her eyes on the ground, even when she feels his presence alongside her as she walks, and smells a mix of their scents on his kosode. She does not pause when he sees her and whispers her name.</p><p>     The Shin’ou Academy’s Headmaster stifles a yawn as he paces the small space behind the podium at the front of the auditorium. He waits for the students to finish filing in, and for the faculty to tell him the names of the two boys who would be unaccounted for. Finally, he has everything he needs to address the Academy’s students and staff. "Earlier this morning, a member of our support staff stumbled upon a scene like never before seen here on the grounds of the Academy. Two young students, who have just now been identified as third year pupils Hamasaki Gorou, and Iwata Hayato, were brutally slain last night. All evidence points to the perpetrators being fellow students."</p><p>     As gasps of shock, disbelief and grief echo throughout the room, Michiko has to feign her own shock at the news. A few female students actually start crying, and it makes her nauseous to think of anyone choosing to love those boys.</p><p>     "Settle down, students. You will soon be escorted back to your rooms, where you will please remain until further notice. Classes are of course cancelled, and will remain cancelled until such time as the guilty parties have been identified. In order to quickly return to some level of normality, we have just welcomed the founder of our Academy and Captain Commander of the Gotei Thirteen, Yamamoto Genryuusai Shigekuni-sama, and Fourth Division Captain Unohana Retsu-sama to help us identify the persons responsible for this tragedy. Please wait patiently and silently for your escorts."</p><hr/><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Shin'ou - I don't italicise this because I use it so much! The 'official' name of the so-called Shinigami Academy is 'Shin'ou en', translated as The Spiritual Arts Academy.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. The Investigation</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>UPDATED 2021/01/23</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Reference to injuries &amp; blood ; emotional &amp; physical pain.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Upon arrival at the Academy, they had been shown the scene as it had been found earlier that morning. The four shinigami in attendance had looked upon the scene with varying degrees of emotion and shock.</p><p>     Wearing the adjutant’s insignia for the Fourth Division, Lieutenant Yamada Seinosuke was saddened by the wasting of potential. The Captain Commander’s face had remained stoic, but the brutality of the scene had unsettled him. His equally stoic Lieutenant, Sasakibe Choujirou, had taken to patrolling the area immediately surrounding the courtyard when he found himself unable to look upon the carnage any further. </p><p>     Meanwhile, Captain Unohana Retsu had already confirmed that the two young men had been dragged across the courtyard, and away from where they had been killed under the tree. What concerned her the most was not the brutality of the scene, for she had seen far worse, but the act of moving the already dead students. If the intention had been to cover up the crime, they would have been moved further away from the scene, but she found that she could not fathom any other reason. With a single nod back to her Lieutenant, she signalled that the bodies could now be moved for autopsy.  </p><hr/><p> </p><p>     The bodies had been moved into the Academy’s infirmary, but were otherwise in the same condition they had been when they were first found just a few hours previously. Captain Unohana Retsu, with her long hair plaited around the front of her neck, has been examining the horrific injuries that had been inflicted upon the two students with a growing desire to discover why they had been killed. There were only a few things that she was certain of at this stage: The students had died almost immediately from the near complete removal of their throats, and they had somehow been attacked simultaneously. Additionally, their torsos and groins had been carved open with seemingly mirrored wound tracks. All of this would usually indicate a single attacker, but she finds it difficult to imagine any scenario where the two muscular students could be overwhelmed and killed in what could have only been a matter of moments.</p><p>     After the last of the blood washes away, she also discovers bruising around their shoulders, with clear impressions of large teeth. Feelings of unease pass over her whenever she attempts to probe any of the numerous wounds for residual reiatsu or fibres, but she simply notes in her report that there is no trace evidence to be found, instead of trying to explain the strange sensation. She concludes her report with an observation that there was almost certainly a reason behind the seemingly senseless and random attacks. After preparing the bodies for their last rites, Unohana Retsu exits the room to report to the Captain Commander, and finds him to be standing in the empty nurse’s station.</p><p>     "Commander, I have completed my examinations of the two victims."</p><p>     "Did you uncover some clue as to how they were killed, or by whom?"</p><p>     "Potentially. The torso wounds were inflicted with large slashing motions, and the spacing between the slashes would indicate a multi-bladed instrument, or perhaps claws. The fatal blows were the neck wounds, and I believe that they were caused by large bites."</p><p>     "Are you suggesting that we should be looking for some type of vicious animal?" His words had been laced in venom and a measure of sarcasm that Captain Unohana was not accustomed to hearing.</p><p>     Before she can respond, her Lieutenant arrives in the room.</p><p>     "Reporting in! We have recovered evidence from the scene. A ripped kosode, and a red shitagi were found in a hedgerow nearby." </p><p>     An unsettling image forms quickly in Retsu’s mind and she flinches as the Commander turns his attention fully onto her Lieutenant.</p><p>     "A red shitagi…are you suggesting that a girl did this?!"</p><p>     Surprisingly, Seinosuke does not flinch before confirming. "It would certainly appear that way, <em>shoutaichou-sama</em>,” after a brief hesitation he continues. “We were able to discern part of the student's name: Fujimori." </p><p>     Yamamoto Genryuusai closes his eyes and exhales slowly before moving towards the door. "Escort Fujimori Michiko to the Headmaster's office. We will wait for her there."</p><p>     Retsu was startled by his certainty. "Captain Commander!—"</p><p>     "There is only one Fujimori left in the whole of Soul Society. The girl who just last year escaped the massacre of her entire family, by visiting Captain Ukitake Jyuushirou."</p><hr/><p>     Meanwhile, Michiko had been pacing her room for almost an hour since they had all been escorted from the auditorium. She had considered turning herself in, thinking that her punishment might be less severe if she did, but something had stopped her from leaving her room. The thought of never seeing Jyuushirou and Shunsui again had brought her to tears, but the tears were not from sadness; they were hateful tears for the two boys. </p><p>     Placing her hand over her stomach once more, she feels the jagged edges of the wound that had sliced her hakama open, and she wants to scream as she is forced to relive the moment she had jolted awake. Before she can think it through and stop herself, her fingers press into the wound and break through the delicate scabbing. Blood immediately seeps from the gash that runs from her navel to groin, and she collapses onto the floor.</p><p>     The young Lieutenant approaches the corridor of ladies’ dormitories at a brisk pace, but his heart does not beat so quickly from exertion. He had been told, by a staff member in the records office, that the girl he was collecting was still in her first year at the academy, and the picture attached to her file showed a surprisingly young girl with large, innocent eyes. He was also informed that her dormitory was one of the larger, single occupancy rooms reserved for noble-born students.</p><p>     Finally arriving at the screen doors with the nameplate reading Fujimori affixed to the side, Seinosuke wonders briefly if it would be appropriate to knock, given the circumstances, or if it would be better to simply walk in. The images in his mind were still struggling to align. The young girl, who was excelling in all of her classes, and was set to be an elite candidate once she graduated, seems to be in complete contrast to the horrific event that the Captain Commander had attributed to her with such certainty. All he can do now is hope. Hope that the girl behind the door has returned to being the innocent child that her files indicate, as he slowly pushes the screen door to one side, and steps over the threshold. The first thing he notices as he does so is the metallic tang of blood, hanging heavily in the air, that now assaults his senses. From all of his years in the medical relief Division, he knows that this is not the smell of blood that has started to dry. This is fresh blood, and his stomach drops as he sees the fallen form of the small girl.</p><p>     After ensuring that the door is properly closed behind him, he rushes to her side and drops to his knees. His first duty is to check for a pulse, which he quickly locates and notes that it is weakening with every passing moment. “Fujimori-dono,” he gagged on the heavy smell of blood. “What…just where is all this blood coming from?”</p><p>     She had regained consciousness a short time later, but had almost immediately reopened her barely healed wound when she had noticed the male shinigami sitting nearby. The man, who introduced himself as Lieutenant Yamada Seinosuke, spoke in soft tones as he explained how he had found her collapsed and bleeding, before administering some light <em>kaidou</em>. She had sat silently with her knees drawn to her chest as he explained his reason for being in her room, as well as his Captain’s suspicions about the events of the previous night. </p><p>     Michiko had remained silent as she stood up, even though she had wanted to scream in agony, and waited for the Lieutenant to take the lead in escorting her to wherever it was she was to be taken. She had reluctantly allowed for the man to support her with an arm around her shoulders after she had almost collapsed for the third time. Her heart sank even deeper into her chest as she realised her destination. Reaching the doors to the Headmaster’s office, the Lieutenant gently places her against the wall before slipping into the adjacent room and closing the door behind him. Even if she had cared enough to hear the conversation on the other side, the walls had been made extra thick in this part of the school.</p><p>     After what feels like an eternity to Michiko, the door opens once more. Her entire body shakes as she sees the white haori through the thick fringe that almost covers her eyes.</p><p>     "Thank you, Seinosuke. Fujimori-san, please follow me," the woman does not march her straight into the Headmaster's office, but instead guides her to a low table in a smaller side room and helps her sit before moving to sit herself.</p><p>     "My name is Unohana Retsu, Captain for the Fourth Division of the Gotei Thirteen. I was asked to attend today to examine the bodies of the two young students and determine how they were killed, and potentially identify the guilty party. You were brought here because my Lieutenant discovered a kosode and shitagi, and was able to discern your family name from what remains of those garments. I requested this meeting with you because I strongly believe that there is more to this story than what appears on the surface, especially with what Seinosuke has just told me about your own injury. Please, speak freely and truthfully."</p><p>     "Of course, thank you. Last night, I had fallen asleep in the courtyard after stargazing, and I dreamt that two of the celestial guardians came to life. When I woke up, they were in front of me. My hakama had been slashed, and I could not find my kosode or shitagi. The two students were dead. At first, I thought that they were also going to kill me. Seiryuu approached me, and used its wings and body to cover my torso. Byakko dragged the students away."</p><p>     "Fujimori-san, please know that I believe you. If those two men violated you, a simple examination will strengthen our case."</p><p>     "Thank you for believing me, Captain Unohana-sama. However, I am not certain that an examination would prove anything, and I would not want to waste your precious time."</p><p>     She smiles sweetly. "Do not worry about that. I believe Seinosuke administered some kaidou without accessing the wound, so I would also like to have a closer look at it. If you would allow me to examine you, there is a futon behind this screen."</p><p>***</p><p>     Yamamoto Genryuusai had been growing impatient as he waited for the girl to be presented, but he had enough respect for Captain Unohana to allow her to speak with the child first when she had mentioned her concerns. He had also sent his own Lieutenant to the girl’s room to locate and recover the zanpakutou he suspected that she had acquired. </p><p>     There is a light knocking on the door, and Retsu bows as she opens it. "Commander, I have spoken with Fujimori Michiko and confirmed my suspicions.”</p><p>     "Bring her in."</p><p>     She steps to the side of the open door and reaches to place a comforting arm around the shoulders of the small girl. Her entire body shakes as Unohana Retsu guides her to stand before the Headmaster’s desk, with the foreboding Commander sitting on the other side.</p><p>     "I assume you know who I am, so we will skip the formalities. Do not omit any details from your account of the events that transpired here last night."</p><p>     She speaks with her head bowed. "Yessir. Last night I was stargazing in the courtyard and I fell asleep. Whilst unconscious, the two students approached me and proceeded to assault me. In my dream, the dragon and the tiger of the celestial guardians came to life. When I awoke, the students were dead, and the two guardians stood over their bodies. A short while later, I was approached by another student who offered me his own kosode, and escorted me to my room."</p><p>     "The name of this student?"</p><p>     "Kuchiki Byakuya."</p><p>     The Commander had looked directly at her for the first time before nodding to Captain Unohana. Placing a hand once again on her shoulder, Unohana guides the still quivering student to another side room. As she closes the door behind her, Michiko can no longer contain her tears.</p><hr/><p> </p><p>     Kuchiki Byakuya was immediately collected from his room and escorted to the Headmaster’s office by the same Lieutenant. He was still wearing the kosode that he had offered to Michiko the night before, and the two captains had shared a look as they detected trace amounts of her reiatsu on the garment; there could be no denying his involvement.</p><p>     "Kuchiki Byakuya, where were you at the time of the murders?"</p><p>     "I was asleep in my room. However, I awoke from a particularly strange dream with an urgency in my chest telling me to run to that courtyard."</p><p>     "Continue and tell us what you found."</p><p>     "Yessir. When I arrived in the courtyard, the first thing I saw was a large white tiger. After it spotted me, it directed my attention to the two bodies. I was afraid that it would also attack me in a similar way when I heard crying coming from the large tree. The tiger allowed me to pass after I told it that I was there to help. Fujimori Michiko was sitting at the base of the tree, and a winged dragon was wrapped around her torso. When Fujimori-san first lifted her head and saw me, she was afraid. I offered her my kosode when I realised that she had been stripped of her own, and I escorted her back to her room before returning to my own dormitory."</p><p>     "Very well. Tell me what happened to the two beasts."</p><p>     "They vanished. In their place, a twinned zanpakutou appeared."</p><p>     “Sasakibe,” his Lieutenant appears immediately behind him. “Has the girl’s zanpakutou been located and recovered?”</p><p>     “Yessir,” stepping forward, he places the bundle of red cloth on the desk and withdraws to his previous position. </p><p>     Byakuya finds himself unable to draw his gaze away from the wrapped blades, with the strangest sensation that the spirits inhabiting them are fully aware of the situation. </p><p>     The Commander makes no move to take the blades from the bundle of cloth, but when he tries to place his hand over the hilts, he has to quickly withdraw after a flash of pain radiates across his palm. In the space of a single moment, he sees and feels the bones of that hand explode from the skin, leaving nothing behind but a mangled stump. He pauses for a moment as he determines the fate of the girl, and sighs as he hopes that it is the right decision. He speaks without looking at anyone in particular. “Bring her out.” </p><p>     It is Captain Unohana who walks over to the antechamber. As she opens the door, she sees that the poor girl had, at some point, retreated to the back corner of the room like a distressed beast, and was once more hugging her knees to her chest. Before she can move towards the student, she rises from the floor and walks forward with her head bowed. Her heart leaps in her chest as she emerges into the main chamber of the Headmaster’s office, but she cannot determine if it is because her White Knight was now present, or because of her zanpakutou, that now sat in front of the Commander.</p><p>     “The young man next to you has fully corroborated your account of the events that transpired here last night. Your lecturers have all submitted statements that unanimously agree that you are dedicated to your studies, and have so far excelled in all areas. Additionally, Captain Unohana has prepared a supplementary report detailing your assault. Therefore, the official incident report will list you as a victim, and the two young men will be noted as the aggressive parties. As the founder of this Academy and Captain Commander of the Gotei Thirteen, I hereby acquit you on the grounds of self defense. You may reclaim the zanpakutou that protected you last night, and return to your studies.”</p><p>     Her knees buckle and she almost collapses completely before correcting herself and instead falling into the lowest position of the humble prostration. “My sincerest gratitudes to you both!”</p><p>     “You are both dismissed. Do not make me regret my decision, girl.”</p><p>     Upon rising, Michiko notices that the cloth bundle containing her zanpakutou had been moved to the edge of the desk towards her. Tentatively, she walks forward before bending into another bow, and finally reclaiming her zanpakutou as she straightens. She holds her zanpakutou close to her chest as she leaves the office.</p><p>     Kuchiki Byakuya, who had left the office just a few moments before her, is pacing in the corridor when she emerges, “Fujimori-san, could I walk with you?”</p><p>     She makes a deep bow towards him, “My thanks to you as well, Kuchiki-sama!”</p><p>     He feels heat rising to his cheeks. “I simply spoke the truth. That it matched your account was a fortunate outcome.”</p><p>     “I can still express my gratitude, can I not?” she takes a hesitant step towards him before continuing. “Besides, it was only this morning that I truly realised who you are. Last night…I do hope that you can forgive me for the boundary that I crossed, Kuchiki-sama.” </p><p>     In the silence of the corridor, he is sure that she can hear his heart beating. “Hmph. I found that I rather enjoyed simply being ‘Byakuya the guardian’, instead of ‘Future head of the Kuchiki Family’.”</p><p>     There is a flash of mischief in her eyes as she makes eye contact with him for the first time. With less hesitation she takes another step towards him. “Oh? If that is truly the case, then I shall forget my realisation of your status!”</p><p>     “I believe I should like that,” as he turns to walk back in the direction of the dormitory buildings, he extends an elbow towards her. She smiles brightly as she links her arm through his. They quickly fall into a comfortable silence, but Byakuya notices how her body tenses as they approach the courtyard. “Do you think you will ever be able to go out there again?”</p><p>     “Truthfully, I do not know. On the one hand, it is the location of the second worst night of my existence. But on the other hand, it is where I met my White Knight and my zanpakutou!”</p><p>     “What a peculiar outlook you have.”</p><p>     “A dear friend refers to it as a ‘coping mechanism’,” she sighs as the door to her room grows nearer, and reluctantly unhooks her arm from his elbow before slowing to a stop. “I would understand if you would prefer to forget the connection that was formed between us last night.”</p><p>     He shakes his head. “I feel quite the opposite. If I may, I would rather like to continue being your ‘White Knight’.”</p><p>     She hastily places her bundled zanpakutou against her door frame. “In that case, would you allow me to bid farewell as I did last night?” </p><p>     This time, she gently places a hand on his shoulder to steady herself as she lifts onto her tiptoes. As he wishes he had done the previous night, he moves his head ever so slightly at the last moment, and closes his eyes as her lips brush against his. Michiko does not draw back immediately, and  finds herself to be smiling as she lowers her heels back to the ground. “Kuchiki-kun, what does this mean?” her eyes sparkle with hope, and a touch of something else that she tries to push down.</p><p>     “I am not entirely sure, but I believe that we should take it as slowly as we walked along that blossom-covered path last night, and figure it out together.”</p><p>     Joyous tears fill her eyes, “I would like that very much.”</p><hr/><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Shoutaichou - 'shou' meaning Commander, combined with 'taichou' for Captain.<br/>Kaidou - employed mainly by the Fourth Division, this is the term for the healing magics used by shinigami.<br/>If you are not familiar with the concept of the celestial guardians, I would highly recommend reading about them! Their names are not italicised often, but 'byakko' is the white tiger and 'seiryuu' is the blue dragon.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. In Seireitei</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>UPDATED 2021/01/31: Minor spelling corrections.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ukitake Jyuushirou and Kyouraku Shunsui stand in the corridor outside of the Captain’s Conference hall. The news of the double murder on the grounds of the Academy had put Jyoushirou in particular on edge as he once again begins pacing, wondering why neither he or Kyouraku had been permitted to attend the current meeting.</p><p>     In direct contrast, the second excluded Captain leans against the wall of the corridor with his arms folded loosely across his torso, and his head tipped towards his chest. With an exasperated sigh, he lifts his head to look at his companion. “Jeez Ukitake, would you please stop pacing?”</p><p>     The silver haired man nods once, but continues pacing.</p><p>     “Why is it that you’re so worried about the little owl?”</p><p>     “Hmph. Where to start,” to stop himself from pacing, Jyoushirou stands next to the man he considers to be his best friend and takes a deep breath. “My head tells me to worry because it is almost the one year anniversary of that night, and perhaps she will have to relive her own trauma. My heart tells me to worry because I have always considered little Mikko to be a part of my family, and no one should have to witness such tragedies. Something else, perhaps my gut, tells me to worry in case Mikko has somehow gotten herself involved in whatever it was that happened over there.”</p><p>     “So, you’re not worried that we were the only Captains asked not to attend this meeting? Or perhaps that is a factor in all three of your concerns, hm?”</p><p>     “Indeed. Yamamoto-sensei knows that Mikko recovered from her horrendous injuries in my home, and he knew that I would want emergency leave for the days after. If Mikko is somehow involved, then I can respect his decision not to have me in there, but—”</p><p>     “But you don’t know why I was also asked to sit out?” he shrugs. “Honestly I don’t know either. Yama-jii has his reasons for everything he does. Perhaps it was as simple as making sure that you wouldn’t collapse from that endless pacing!”</p><p>     Before either man can say anything more, the large doors of the conference chamber swing open, and they have to quickly move out of the way of the procession of Captains. In particular, they notice that the stern Captain of the Sixth Division, Kuchiki Ginrei, storms from the chamber, with his son and Lieutenant Soujyun following closely behind.</p><p>     “Captains Ukitake and Kyouraku, you may now enter.”</p><p>     Jyoushirou feels his heart plummet in his chest, and Shunsui briefly places a hand on his shoulder before moving into the room. </p><p>     “I will not sugar coat my words. Ukitake Jyoushirou, you are here as the closest person that Fujimori Michiko has to family. This morning, the girl was confirmed as the perpetrator of the double murder that occured at the Academy. With the assistance of Captain Unohana, it was determined that the girl had acted in self defense. More accurately, her zanpakutou had acted in her defense. In light of this, the child has been acquitted and she will continue her studies at the school. Kyouraku Shunsui, you are here because the girl’s zanpakutou formed as a <strong><em> daishou </em> </strong>. As the only other known wielder of a sealed state twinned zanpakutou, I have arranged with the Academy that you will provide her with additional instruction in <em> zanjyuutsu </em>. That will be all.”</p><p>     The two Captains bow and speak in unison. “Thank you, Captain Commander!”</p><p> </p><hr/><p>   </p><p>  They quickly decide to take the rest of the day off in order to visit their young friend at the Academy, but Jyuushirou wishes to speak with someone before they depart. He has to remind himself to breathe as he approaches the administrative building of the Fourth Division’s barracks.</p><p>     “Ah, Lieutenant Yamada-san, I was hoping to speak with Captain Unohana.”</p><p>     “Could you please tell me what you would speak with her about, Ukitake-sama?”</p><p>     “There will be no need for that, so please return to your duties,” she pauses until the Lieutenant retreats. “Ukitake-san, please follow me.” They walk in silence until they reach the interior of the Captain’s personal office. After he slides the door closed, Retsu invites him to sit. “I can see that your heart is deeply troubled. What would you ask me?”</p><p>     “Thank you, Captain Unohana. Is Mikko…is Michiko okay?”</p><p>     “Physically, I believe that she will make a full recovery.”</p><p>     “I am not sure I understand, Unohana-san.”</p><p>     “Unfortunately I cannot go into specifics, but I will say this. The situation that young Fujimori-san found herself in was forced upon her, and we cannot heal mental scars.”</p><p>     His stomach flips with intense feelings of nausea as he realises the true meaning behind the Captain’s carefully selected words. After a stretch of silence the nausea fades, and he feels more able to speak. “I understand,” he rises and bows deeply. “Thank you very much for your time, and for assisting young Michiko.”</p><p>     Ukitake's fists are still clenched to the point of drawing blood by the time he leaves the Fourth Division’s barracks and finds Kyouraku waiting for him. With one look, Shunsui can tell that his friend is hurting even more than before. “I’ve failed her, Kyouraku! I promised to protect her! If they were not already dead—”</p><p>     “Hey now, calm down before you land yourself back in a sick bed! C’mon. Let’s go pay a visit to the little owl, hm?”</p><p>     Unbeknownst to the two captains, their brief exchange outside of the Compound had been observed and overheard by a seemingly innocent black cat.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Daishou - a matched pair of swords, usu. long and short.<br/>Zanjyuutsu - Swordsmanship/Art of sword fighting.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Shin'ou Academy</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>UPDATED 2021/01/31 : Grammatical tweaks, and warning message.</p><p>WARNING: This chapter makes reference to physical trauma and child abuse.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Michiko cannot stop smiling. This morning she had thought that her life was over, but now she stands in her room with her twinned zanpakutou in her hands. She attempts to train, but every time she closes her eyes to summon up some kind of concentration and focus, she is inevitably drawn back to the moment on the other side of her door. She smiles and giggles with child-like glee everytime she recalls the moment he had pressed his lips against hers, because she had been secretly hoping for that exact experience from the moment he had walked so slowly at her side on the way back to her room the night before.</p><p>     Unfortunately, the state of happiness and ecstasy she finds herself in means that she cannot concentrate on her <strong><em> zanjyuutsu </em> </strong>. After an hour of trying to maneuver with the two blades in a rather small and uncluttered space in her room, the hilts slip out of her hands and clatter on the floor. Looking down, she sees blood dripping from the hilts, and wonders where it had come from before she feels more blood seeping from deep gashes on her palms.</p><p>     “Oh gods, Mikko <strong><em> boke </em></strong>!” as she turns to walk to the small washroom, she hears footsteps in the corridor quickly drawing nearer, before coming to a stop directly outside her door. Her stomach lurches, and she quickly rewraps her zanpakutou into the ruined hakama before shoving the bundle under her bed. </p><p>     “Mikko?”</p><p>     She forgets about the blood dripping from her hands as she rushes forward and slides the door open, before flinging her arms around a kneeling Jyuushirou’s neck. “Jyuushi!? Why are you here? Did you really come just to see me? What about your work? You’re a Captain! Will you not get in trouble?! I don’t want Jyuushi to—”</p><p>     “Slow down, Mikko!” </p><p>     “I’m so glad you came, Jyuushi!” Her words morph into sobs. </p><p>     “Me too. Come on, we picked up some <em> konpeito </em> for you!”</p><p>     “We?” she mutters as Kyouraku kneels into her line of sight. “Shuushuu came too!?”</p><p>     “Of course I came, little owl! Now how about getting out of this corridor, hm?”</p><p>     She finally unwraps her arms from around Jyuushirou’s neck, and uses the palms of her hands to wipe away some of her tears as she walks backwards into her room.</p><p>     After sliding the door closed behind him, Jyuushirou sees the smears of blood that now cover Michiko’s face and he kneels down in front of her, taking her hands into his. “Kyouraku, would you find some washcloths and bandages?” the concern in his eyes deepens as he examines her palms. “Mikko, where did these come from?”</p><p>     Michiko hesitates, her eyes darting around his face. “Uhm…I think I fell?”</p><p>     “You’re great at many things, but lying is not one of them, Mikko,” with her hands still firmly in his, he guides her to sit on the bed. “Now then, let’s get you cleaned up.”</p><p>     Michiko remains silent and motionless as the two men she considers to be her true family clean and wrap her hands in bandages, and then wipe the blood from her face. As Shunsui moves to dispose of the bloodied washcloths, Michiko wordlessly reaches under her bed and brings the cloth bundle onto her lap. Jyuushirou decides to wait until she is ready to speak, and she remains silent until Shunsui sits on the other side of her. “This…my zanpakutou,” the tears come to her eyes once more. “They saved me. I thought I would try and communicate with them, and I did not notice the blood.”</p><p>     The two Captains stare at the cloth bundle as she slowly reveals the twinned blades. The two <strong><em> uchigatana </em> </strong> are identical in every way apart from one; one hilt is a deep crimson colour, and the other is an equally deep blue. The most unusual thing is that both blades seem to be the same length, as opposed to Shunsui’s <strong><em> daishou </em> </strong> of a katana and <strong><em>wakizashi</em></strong>. In fact, were it not for the near identical reiatsu being emitted from them, one could be forgiven for believing that they belonged to two shinigami instead of one. “Jyuushi, Shuushuu. You came because you already know, don’t you?” she asked meekly.</p><p>     “I think we know enough to be very grateful to this zanpakutou, right Ukitake?”</p><p>     “Yes. Mikko, I’m so sorry.”</p><p>     She shoots confused looks at both of the men, “Eh? Why is Jyuushi-nii apologising?”</p><p>     “Why else?! He had promised to keep you safe, and he thinks he failed.”</p><p>     She pulls Jyuushirou’s hand into hers. “No way! Jyuushi-nii~, how many times have you saved me over the years?! Not just from my own family, but also from myself? I came to the Academy because I want to protect you too, Jyuushi-nii! I want to protect everyone who cannot protect themselves, and I want to stand alongside my two favourite captains to protect our home! I want to prove to Captain Commander-sama that he made the right choice…” her voice trails off as she feels her zanpakutou responding to her words.</p><p>
  <em>      We hear you…can you hear us? </em>
</p><p>     She responds with her mind, “Yes! I hear you!”</p><p>
  <em>      Speak our name. We are…” </em>
</p><p>     “<em><strong>Tenshi Ryuuko</strong></em>,” the pommels of the zanpakutou begin to glow. “Your name is Tenshi Ryuuko. Seiryuu and Byakko, thank-you. I look forward to working with you.”</p><p>     Jyuushirou and Shunsui can only look at her and each other in shock and amazement as the blades of Michiko’s zanpakutou begin to emit reiatsu the same colours as their hilts. After a few seconds, the two colours merge together to make a purple as dark as shadows before disappearing back into the hilts. Without conscious thought or awareness, Michiko moves her hands to grasp the hilts at this moment, and from the glowing pommels, the deep purple reiatsu emerges in the form of filigree chains that create intricate patterns on her forearms. As she collapses from exhaustion for the second time that morning, her zanpakutou attach themselves to the chains, with the pommels touching the insides of her elbows, and the tips of the blades resting against her wrists.</p><p>     After laying her on the bed and placing a large bag of <em> konpeito </em> on the table next to her, Jyoushirou and Shunsui remain silent until they leave the room. The nearby courtyard is still sealed off, and the students remain confined to their rooms.</p><p>     “Kyouraku, what in the names of the gods did we just witness?” he whispered.</p><p>     “Beats me!”</p><p>     “For Mikko to have learned the name of her zanpakutou less than twenty-four hours after it forged is entirely unprecedented.”</p><p>     He nods slowly. “I know I haven’t known her for nearly as long as you have, but I think that being able to claim a zanpakutou like that is a credit to her resilience. Just now, she formed her resolve as a shinigami, and her zanpakutou aligned itself with that.”</p><p>     “It would ordinarily be the other way around. The forming of a shinigami’s resolve allows their spirit to influence an <strong><em> asauchi </em> </strong>until their zanpakutou is forged.”</p><p>     “Exactly. That girl in there…she’s anything but ordinary, Ukitake.”</p><p>     “Hmph, that’s putting it lightly. It’s as you said, she’s extraordinarily resilient. She’s not had an easy life so far, not by any stretch of the imagination. It’s truly remarkable that she has stayed so positive.”</p><p>     “That’s all down to you, my friend! Were it not for your love and compassion, she never would've survived those injuries a year ago.”</p><p>     “Thank you, Kyouraku. I’m glad that Mikko has you as a friend, and now as a teacher.”   </p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>     On the far side of the Academy, Kuchiki Byakuya kneels before his father and grandfather as he once again explains the events of the previous night. Ginrei remains as stoic and emotionless as ever, but Soujyun smiles to himself as his son speaks with such obvious affection for the young girl. Unfortunately, before he is able to commend the young boy for his heroic actions and kindness, he has to excuse himself from the room, feeling his body once more succumbing to his chronic illness.</p><p>     For the silver haired man it was a golden opportunity, and he doesn’t waste a single moment of it. “Byakuya. The acquittal that Yamamoto saw fit to grant the girl does not make her innocent of this heinous crime. You are still young, so I will speak plainly. The Kuchiki family does not associate with criminals. Despite our personal motivations, we must always follow the laws of the land and seek to uphold them whenever necessary. You will one day inherit the heirlooms of the Kuchiki house, and become the Head of our noble family. Do not besmirch our name by associating with this girl any further. Have I made myself clear?”</p><p>     “Yes, Grandfather.”</p><p>     “Very well. Inform your father that I expect him back at work shortly.”</p><p>     He remains as motionless as a statue on the outside, but on the inside he is at war. His head understands the wisdom behind his grandfather’s words. He had known that an acquittal was not the same as an exoneration as soon as the Captain Commander had declared it, but that had not stopped him. It did not stop his heart from somersaulting at the sight of her smile as she had walked away from the office with her zanpakutou. It had not stopped him from wanting to be close to her, and he had not let it stop him from kissing her. His heart urges him to disobey his grandfather, to ignore his words and continue ‘associating’ with the girl who had captured his heart without so much as a single glance in his direction.</p><p>     As his internal conflict rages on, Soujyun enters the room once more. “Hm, let me guess,” he says as he sits down. “The old man departed on some ancient pearl of wisdom concerning the upholding of the law, right?”</p><p>     “Yes, father. I will not dishonour the family by associating—”</p><p>     “Byakuya, my dear boy! Forget about honour for now,” he pauses to place a hand over his heart. “What does your heart say?”</p><p>     “My heart? I have loved her since I first saw her.”</p><p>     “Some years before she was born, our elders had arranged that the next Fujimori girl would one day become your wife. By some twist of fate, young Michiko was preceded by sisters who were too frail and sickly to survive past infancy. Because of that, our elders, who had been very keen on making this arrangement in the first place, became equally keen to nullify it. Even when she survived her first years, they vehemently refused to sign a new contract.</p><p>     “We never know what this life will deal to us, but right now I would say that you have been dealt a good set of cards. You have your health, and you have now fallen for the girl who would have become your wife by arrangement. I should return to Seireitei, but I will say one last thing. I want you to be happy, Byakuya. I can see that young Michiko has already made you happy, so I will do whatever I can to help you both.”</p><p>     Before he can ask his father how he was going to help, he vanishes in the same manner as his grandfather had previously. His internal conflict finally settles, and he rises with a new found determination to honour his father’s wish.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>     Ukitake Jyuushirou and Kyouraku Shunsui sit at either side of the doors to Michiko’s room. As lunchtime had been quickly approaching, there had been a few cautious students who had popped their heads out of their rooms wondering if they would be allowed to visit the food hall. On more than one occasion, the two captains found themselves reassuring those students that they had not been sent to keep them confined to their rooms, but they had the suspicion that no one had truly believed them. </p><p>     A short while later, members of the kitchen staff arrive pushing carts loaded with bentou, and distribute them with surprising efficiency given that nothing like this has ever happened at the Academy. To Jyuushirou and Shunsui, however, it seems that the staff were actively avoiding delivering food to the room they were sitting in front of. At first, they attempt to ignore the oversight, with the assumption that the staff members had been given specific routes to follow. However, as empty carts are pushed back towards the kitchen area it becomes more apparent that this was not the case. Shunsui looks ready to chase after the empty carts to ask what the problem was when he notices a young lady approaching them with three large bentou in her arms. She attempts to bow to the two men, causing the top box to slide towards the floor. Luckily, Jyuushirou is able to grasp the box before it crashes against the flagstones.</p><p>     “I am truly sorry for my clumsiness, Shinigami-sama!”</p><p>     “Don’t worry about it. My name is Ukitake, and this is Kyouraku. Young lady, could you please tell us why the other staff members were avoiding this room?”</p><p>     “Uhm, they thought that maybe…maybe she would not be allowed to eat. I had some boxes left over, so I thought I would offer them to the guards.”</p><p>     “That was very kind of you, but we are not here as guards. The girl in this room is our friend, and we came to visit her. Could you please inform the rest of the staff that they should deliver the next meal without hesitation if the students remain confined?”</p><p>     “Of course! Uhm…”</p><p>     “Go ahead,” the prompt came from Shunsui.</p><p>     “I-I was not sure if it would be appropriate, but the kitchen has heard rumours—I do not believe them! Especially when Ukitake-sama said that he and Kyouraku-sama are here as friends, they cannot possibly be true. They are saying awful things.”</p><p>     Jyuushirou smiles sadly. “I can only imagine. Regardless of our Commander’s verdict, there will be many students, and perhaps some staff, who would rather believe the rumours, and perhaps seek to hurt her. Thank you for not believing them.”</p><p>     “I wish I could do more, but I will personally deliver Fujimori-sama’s next meal!” she bows again before speeding off with her now empty cart. </p><p>     A smile touches Shunsui’s lips as he watches the young lady rushing towards the kitchens, before reaching for one of the bentou. He hesitates before opening it, looking once more to his companion. “Do you think we should wait until she’s awake?” </p><p>     “You can eat if you want. I suddenly feel rather unsettled.”</p><p>     “Hm? You’re worried about some kind of vigilante justice?”</p><p>     “I am. We don’t know how popular those boys were, after all. I don’t think Mikko has made a single friend, Kyouraku. She would have no one to help her.”</p><p>     “Saying that she’d be able to defend herself if anything like that were to happen, would be less than helpful right now, no matter how true it may be. Perhaps we could speak with the Headmaster about what the students will be told of the incident?”</p><p>     “Perhaps.”</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>     Upon returning to his room and finding the bentou that had been left for him, Byakuya had immediately resolved to eat his lunch with Michiko. With his father’s words echoing in his mind, he walks as calmly and quietly as he can through the still deserted corridors, fully conscious and aware of the fact that he should not be wandering around whilst they were still under the ridiculous lockdown. As he approaches the corridor of dormitories reserved for the female noble students, he hesitates and slows to a stop when he hears unfamiliar male voices from around the corner, and directly outside Michiko’s room. He presses himself into the wall to listen to their hushed conversation. </p><p>     “You really should eat, y’know.”</p><p>     “Mhm, I know. Mikko hates eating around people who aren’t also eating, though.”</p><p>     “Is that so? Whenever we all eat together, she piles so much food onto her plate that I never imagined she would have the self-control for that!”</p><p>     “It took her a long time to even do that. I first noticed it many years ago, and I thought that perhaps it was her injuries preventing her from eating. She always had some type of injury. So one morning I asked her, ‘Mikko, why is it that you eat like a baby bird?’ hmph. She gave me the strangest look before she finally answered, ‘because mother will hit me’. Gods, that breaks my heart all over again just by remembering it!”</p><p>     From his hiding spot, Byakuya is immensely confused by the two men who seem to be referring to Michiko in such a strange way. His curiosity finally gets the better of him, and he shifts to look around the corner. The gasp that escapes his throat upon seeing the shinigami uniforms is almost certainly audible in the silence as he tries to hide once more.</p><p>     “Oh? C’mon, out you come.”</p><p>     His blood pounds against his eardrums as he moves fully into the corridor and finds the two shinigami looking at him. The silver haired man looks surprised, and perhaps a little concerned, but the darker haired one has a smile tugging at his mouth.</p><p>     “Greetings, little Kuchiki-dono.”</p><p>     “M-my apologies, shinigami-sama! I will return to my room.”</p><p>     “No no, you came all this way for a reason, and with your lunch as well! This is Ukitake Jyuushirou, and I’m Kyouraku Shunsui. It seems our names are at least familiar to you, so would you please tell us why you’re here?”</p><p>     “I thought that I could perhaps visit with Fujimori-san…”</p><p>     “How is it that you know little Mikko?” Jyuushirou asked.</p><p>     “Last night,—” from the corner of his eye, he sees the screen door open.</p><p>     She settles her gaze on him. “He helped me. After…he was very kind, and offered his kosode for me to wear. I would very much like for him to stay, especially since he has come all this way with that bentou.”</p><p>     “Mikko, are you sure?”</p><p>     She rolls her eyes, “Jyuushi-nii~! You and Shuushuu will not always be around, and Kuchiki-kun is the closest that I have to a friend who isn’t a gazillion times older than me! Would you please allow him to stay? I am positively starving, and I can only assume that Kuchiki-kun is as well.”</p><p>     “Right,” he turns to the boy. “Kuchiki-dono, thank-you for being so kind to little Mikko.”</p><p>     With her sweetest smile she turns to the second man. “Shuushuu, would you please make sure Jyuushi-nii eats something?”</p><p>     “Ah, it seems we’re staying out here!”</p><p>     “You should go and find somewhere nice to sit! It must have been awfully uncomfortable out here, and numb legs would be rather disastrous for your shunpo.”</p><p>     “Little owl’s got a point, Ukitake. We’ll be back in say…thirty minutes?” with a grin spreading across his face, he seizes Jyoushirou by the shoulder before using shunpo to make a rather hasty retreat.</p><p>     She excitedly gestures for him to come into her room. After closing the door behind them, she begins rather frantically searching for something.</p><p>     “Ah, here it is! I never thought I would have to bring out a second floor seat!”</p><p>     “Do you not get many visitors?”</p><p>     “Not really. Jyuushi and Shuushuu are usually far too busy, and I have never had anyone here at the Academy who would want to visit. Until now, apparently.”</p><p>     “Right. Fujimori—”</p><p>     “If you would not mind. I mean, if you would feel comfortable, I wondered if you would please call me by my given name?”</p><p>     “Oh. In that case, you can do the same, Michiko-san.”</p><p>     “Much better! I realise I must have interrupted you just now, so uhm, please…”</p><p>     “I was wondering how it is you know those captains on such a personal level.”</p><p>     “Well, I’ve known Jyuushi basically my entire life. The Ukitake house was relatively close to where I lived, so I would often visit him. He’s always treated me like a kid sister. I met Shuushuu last year, on the day after I lost my home.”</p><p>     “I was not permitted to attend the ceremonies, but I would have been there.”</p><p>     “I did not go either. I was surprised, actually, that anyone cared enough to perform the rites. Jyuushi had offered to take me, saying that it could help ‘bring me closure’, but the fact that they were all dead was enough closure for me.”</p><p>     “Michiko-san, I’m sorry.”</p><p>     “Huh? You have no reason to apologise, Byakuya-san! Those people I lived with stopped treating me like family long before the flames took them that night. It took me almost six months to heal from my injuries.”</p><p>     “Injuries? Did you escape from the fire?”</p><p>     “No. The fire happened many hours after I had fled. That day, I was beaten to within an inch of my life by my mother, then my father, and I’m pretty sure my siblings also joined in.”</p><p>     “That’s terrible! How could your family treat you like that?”</p><p>     “It was usually because Mother blamed me for causing her infertility, and Father hated me after none of the noble houses would agree to arrange a match with their heirs. Over time, my brothers and sisters started blaming me for just about everything bad that happened.”</p><p>     “None of that was your fault!” he flushes deeply. “My father told me today that my elders had once arranged for me to marry a Fujimori girl. I had no idea.”</p><p>     “So, Byakuya-san could have been my brother-in-law? How strange!”</p><p>     “Actually, had the arrangement not been nullified, it would have been you.”</p><p>     “It would have been me, as your wife?”</p><p>     “Michiko-san, I truly had no idea until after…after I kissed you.”</p><p>     “I know. What I mean is, I knew it was genuine.”</p><p>     “Genuine. It felt that way for me, too.”</p><p>     “Well, that’s a relief!” she says as she moves closer to him. “If it would be acceptable to you, Byakuya-kun, I would very much like to experience those genuine feelings again.”</p><p>     His heart leaps into his throat, and he only manages to nod as she leans forward.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>     After leaving the young students to enjoy their lunch date, Shunsui had managed to drag a very reluctant Jyuushirou away from Michiko’s room, and he still can’t stop the smile that had first spread across his face when she had requested that they stay away.</p><p>     “I really don’t see why you dragged me this far, Kyouraku.”</p><p>     “Mikko-chan said we should find somewhere to sit that wasn’t made entirely of stone, and this is one of the places I remember from our own student days.”</p><p>     “Right. With the courtyard still sealed off, I guess this is the closest place. I still would have preferred to stay there, though.”</p><p>     “Well, perhaps that’s why she was so insistent.”</p><p>     “Must you speak so cryptically? Why would Mikko insist you bring me so far away?”</p><p>     “Oh, Ukitake! Surely you noticed it!?”</p><p>     “Noticed what?”</p><p>     “Ho boy. Let’s see, the most obvious hint was how she called him ‘Kuchiki-kun’, and the way that he blushed when she did! Then, there was the not exactly subtle way of telling us to get lost. The little owl isn’t so little any more, Ukitake.”</p><p>     “Surely you can’t be suggesting something like that!”</p><p>     “I most certainly am! Is it really so hard to believe?”</p><p>     “I find it very concerning. It was only last night that those despicable boys…”</p><p>     “I know, and I’m concerned too. Truly! In the year that I’ve known her, I feel like I’ve aged at least ten times faster. She’s made some rather interesting choices in that time.”</p><p>     “You’re referring to Mikko’s companions as though I was unaware of them.”</p><p>     “Well, I wasn’t sure. She would always swear me to secrecy if I happened upon one of her friends being snuck out of the house!”</p><p>     “Of course I knew. I guess Mikko must have thought that I would disapprove as her parents had, so I have never broached the subject.”</p><p>     “I wouldn’t even know how to start a conversation like that.”</p><p>     “Hmph. I would often find myself thinking how I would approach it. The only thing I know for certain is that I would never react as they did. On that night or any night before it.”</p><p>     “I think that goes without saying! Even if you weren’t a shinigami, I would struggle to picture any scenario where you would slaughter anyone as her father did.”</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>     Her hazy recollections of the previous night threaten to put an end to her happiness, but as she presses her lips against his, she also presses those memories deep into the dark recesses of her mind. For the first time ever, she has found someone who seems to like her as much as she likes them, and Michiko finds that she is rather quickly falling head over heels for him everytime he would pause just to look at her. She tries and fails to bring their bodies even closer together, and it feels exciting and frustrating all at once. They pull away from each other rather reluctantly just a few moments before there is a light tapping on her door.</p><p>     “Mikko-chan~?”</p><p>     As Michiko rises from the floor, she plants a final peck on Byakuya’s lips before moving to open the door to find Shunsui, but no Jyuushirou. She can’t keep the concern from her words. “Shuushuu, where’s Jyuushi? Is he okay?”</p><p>     “He’s fine, so don’t worry yourself so much! He’s asked the Headmaster for a meeting, and I figured I should come back here since those thirty minutes had almost ended, okay?”</p><p>     “Right, okay. Thank-you for letting Kuchiki-kun visit for lunch, Shuushuu.”</p><p>     He ruffles her hair with a smile, “Well, I’m just glad you’ve found someone who will treat you right, and look out for you when Ukitake and I can’t be here,” he turns his smile towards the young man. “Kuchiki-dono, you have earned my gratitude, and my respect, for how you’ve treated our little Mikko-chan so far. And I’m sure I don’t need to warn you that you will have two Captains—”</p><p>     “Shuu-kun! Don’t scare him away~.”</p><p>     “Sorry, sorry. Now, do you need a moment for your goodbyes?”</p><p>     He blushes as he bows. “Thank you, Kyouraku-sama, for allowing me to visit!” he moves out of the room before turning to Michiko. “I will see you tomorrow, Michiko-san. Hopefully we will have classes again.”</p><p>     “You know where to find me if we are still on lockdown,” she watches his retreating form until he turns a corner. “Let’s see, will it be the protective big brother speech, the disappointed uncle, or maybe a bit of both?”</p><p>     “Hopefully neither, actually! I was kinda hoping to push that particular subject to one side, and talk about this zanpakutou of yours.”</p><p>     “Ryuuko? I’m not sure how much I could tell you when we’ve only just met.”</p><p>     “Well, you’re already way ahead of the curve just by forging your zanpakutou, and then to learn its name in less than twenty four hours…well, that’s besides the point. Mikko-chan, the majority of shinigami will forge a single zanpakutou. Some, like Ukitake’s, will split into two blades with their <em> shikai </em> and <em> bankai </em> released forms, but it is extraordinarily rare for a ‘sealed state’ zanpakutou to be forged as a <em> daishou </em>—a twinned blade.”</p><p>     “But, Shuu-kun’s zanpakutou is also a <em> daishou </em>, right?”</p><p>     “Right,” with a smile, Shunsui unsheathes his katana and wakizashi. “My Katen Kyoukotsu is currently the only sealed state <em> daishou </em> in the whole of Seireitei! Because of that, Yama-jii has arranged for me to provide you with additional <em> zanjyuutsu </em> tutelage. Battling with two blades is rather different, and it took me a long time to train myself.”</p><p>     Concern and confusion crosses her face. “Captain Commander Yamamoto-sama knows that Ryuuko is a twinned blade?”</p><p>     “Ah, I take it that you didn’t tell him?”</p><p>     “No. I was rather terrified of telling him anything at all. After Kuchiki-kun gave his statement, my zanpakutou was in front of him on the desk,” she stops mid-sentence, her vision going blurry and her head swimming. Shaking her head, she manages to stay afloat.</p><p>     “Mikko-chan, what is it? Is something wrong?”</p><p>     “After I passed out earlier, I had a dream that I was experiencing the moment that Ryuuko was presented to him,” her eyes roll back in her head, and return with streaks of red mixed with her usual silver. “He reached out with his hand to examine us, but we got angry and inflicted <strong><em> genshishou </em> </strong>on that hand. His bones cracked and exploded until there was nothing left but a mangled stump! The look on his face was glorious, Shuushuu~!”</p><p>     “A phantom wound…is that your special ability?”</p><p>     “Mhm, no. I don’t think I would like to do things like that, Shuu-kun.”</p><p>     “Right. Is there a way I could speak with Mikko-chan again, Tenshi Ryuuko-sama?”</p><p>     The grin on her face turns feral. “Oh! You’re good. Mikko’s still ‘ere, and she’s pushin’ against me now fer control. Ugh, heavens above she’s strong! Train her well, Kyouraku Shunsui…” The red flecks slowly fade from her irides. </p><p>     He sighs with relief, “Oh boy. I think we’ll have to start this training rather urgently, Mikko. Are you feeling okay? Do you know what just happened, little owl?”</p><p>     “Mhm,” she presses her fingers into her temples. “That was Byakko. He wanted to speak to you, to see if you will truly help us, or if the Commander has additional motives for having his former student become our teacher. I think he trusts you now though.”</p><p>     “Well that’s good,” he says, standing from the bed. “Do you reckon you’re well enough for our first lesson?”</p><p>     “Should we not wait for Jyuushi?”</p><p>     “We’ll need to speak to someone in administration anyway to book a training space, so I reckon we might run into him.”</p><p>     Michiko pauses after closing the door behind them, “Right, but why did Jyuushi-nii want to speak with the Headmaster anyway?”</p><p>     “He’s doing his duty as your ‘big brother’! He wants to make sure that none of the students here are able to mete out any kind of vigilante justice.”</p><p>     “Is that a real concern? I mean, I have enemies anyway, and the staff do nothing.”</p><p>     “You have enemies?! Mikko-chan, why wouldn’t you tell us that?”</p><p>     “Because I can handle them, Shuu-kun! They are jealous, petty and hateful. I take all of the negative energy they aim towards me, and then use it in my classes to destroy training dummies and send all of those bullies to the infirmary.”</p><p>     “Ho! Seems I’m gonna have to watch out for more than just those blades. Yeesh. Makes me wonder if Yama-jii wants to punish me for something!”</p><p>     “Perhaps he is hoping that I will beat some of that laziness from you.”</p><p>     Shunsui laughs, draping his large arm over her shoulders. “He’s been trying to achieve that since I was here as a student, and not just the laziness either! The ladies just couldn’t resist me around here.”</p><p>     “<em><strong> Kimoi</strong>~ </em>!”</p><p>     They do indeed encounter Jyoushirou as they walk towards the administration offices once more, but to Michiko’s surprise, Shunsui does not mention the brief exchange he had with Byakko. With classes still cancelled, it was very easy to procure a secluded training space that would usually be reserved for graduating students. As they walked through the still deserted corridors, Jyuushirou spoke of how he had not been able to convince the headmaster to avoid disclosing the full details of what had happened, and he had looked rather sad when he mentioned the headmaster’s reluctance to keep Michiko’s name redacted, or to allow her time away from classes and the student body with independent learning. In an attempt to cheer him up and lighten the mood, Michiko uses a nearby ledge to launch herself onto Jyoushirou’s back before planting a kiss on his cheek. Shunsui had been the first to laugh as he made the observation of how much faster she would be with shunpo, and Jyoushirou finally laughed when Michiko had promised to fly around Seireitei like the ‘little owl’ that Shunsui had affectionately named her almost a year ago.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Zanjyuutsu - swordsmanship. [Interesting factoid: the kanji 'zan' here means execution!]<br/>Boke - meaning 'fool' or 'idiot'.<br/>Konpeito - loanword taken from the English 'confetti', this is a type of confectionary found in Soul Society and has the appearance of little multi-coloured stars.<br/>Uchigatana - a specific type of katana which is more suited for one-handed wielding due to differences in its design.<br/>Daishou - a pair of matched swords.<br/>Wakizashi - a shorter type of katana usually worn alongside a 'standard' katana.<br/>Tenshi Ryuuko - the full name of Michiko's zanpakutou is revealed! 'Tenshi' translates as heavenly/celestial body, and 'Ryuuko' is a compound kanji containing the characters for Dragon and Tiger.<br/>Asauchi - the blunt 'practice swords' all Academy students &amp; graduates are given until they form a zanpakutou.<br/>Genshishou - handily translated by Kyouraku in the dialogue(!) This term combines the kanji for 'phantom limb' and 'wound'.<br/>Kimoi - a slang term/abbreviation of the longer phrase 'kimochiwarui' meaning 'gross' or 'disgusting'.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. A father's determination</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which Kuchiki Soujyun forms a plan and gains an ally, and the Captain Commander confides in his Lieutenant.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>UPDATED 20121/01/30 : Added end notes for translations/definitions of japanese-origin words and terms.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Seireitei</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>     In the hours since the bells had first rung out from the Academy, news of the murders had quickly travelled across the whole of Seireitei. Following the Captain’s meeting, some of the looser-lipped Lieutenants had revealed more of the gory details, as well as the name of the young female student who had killed the two older boys. Though the tales had originally been met with heavy criticism and disbelief, the continual circulation of the same facts lead to them being widely accepted as the truth. Luckily, the name of the student who had corroborated the story had not also been leaked.</p><p>     Kuchiki Soujyun had formulated a plan to help his son as soon as he had left the Academy. The ultimate goal would be to have the young girl fully exonerated, which would then allow her and Byakuya to wed after succeeding his grandfather as Head of the House. He knows that his own father would be less than happy with what he is planning, but Soujyun also knows that his time in this life was short. His illness had been gradually sapping away at his strength each day. Seeing his son happy for the first time since he had lost his mother had revitalised him, and returned to him some of the energy he had thought was forever lost to him. He resolves to keep his plans close to his chest as he returns to Seireitei.</p><p>Upon entering his personal office space, the first thing he notices is the open window at the back of the room. This was concerning for him since he would hardly ever open any of the windows, let alone leave them open when he wasn’t in there. A strange shiver runs up his spine as he moves to close the window—it was not a cold day, so that shiver hadn’t come from his body responding to a change in temperature. Instead, it is a shiver that informs him that he is being watched. From the very corner of his peripheral vision, he sees a pair of golden feline eyes staring at him and decides against closing the window as he sits at his desk. “Greetings, Captain Shihouin.”</p><p>      “Impressive. How is Byakuya doing?”</p><p>      “Of course you already know of his involvement. He is completely besotted with that poor girl…much to the disdain of his grandfather.”</p><p>      “There’s a scroll in your top drawer—read it once, then burn it.” The strange feline leaps through the still open window and quickly disappears. </p><p>      With a slight shake of his head, Soujyun finally closes the window before retrieving the scroll from the drawer that she had indicated towards. It had been written in a strange code and entirely in the angular <strong><em> katakana </em> </strong> script. After a moment, Soujyun is able to discern the decoding method: the feline paw print that had been used to sign the scroll indicates that he should remove the ‘ <em> ne </em> ’ and ‘ <em> ko </em> ’ (‘<em>neko</em>’ meaning cat) characters that were littered throughout the scroll rather haphazardly. Finally, he is able to discern the true message.</p><p>
  <em>      “You will find the support you need in the flamboyant man and his silver-haired friend. I will also do what I can. Sincerely from the shadows, Yi.” </em>
</p><p>     Soujyun summons a miniscule <strong><em> shakkahou </em> </strong> at the tip of his finger as he places the scroll inside the hearth, and watches as the red kidou flame quickly reduces it to ash. He knows that he will have to be very cautious in his approach to make contact with the two men. </p><p> </p><hr/><p>    </p><p>  Elsewhere, Captain Commander Yamamoto cannot shift his attention away from what Fujimori Michiko’s zanpakutou had done as he once again examines his hand. He addresses his Lieutenant without lifting his eyes. “Sasakibe, did you feel anything from that zanpakutou whilst it was in your possession?”</p><p>      “Yessir, I believe I did. As soon as I went to lift it from where the girl had hidden it, I could feel its spirit so keenly that it felt like I was drowning, choking, and burning all at once.”</p><p>      “Hmph. A zanpakutou containing the spirits of two celestial guardians, who were able to materialise themselves into forms capable of killing her attackers, and then dematerialise into the form of a <em> daishou </em> zanpakutou! I do not say this lightly, Choujirou, but it would not surprise me if she one day sits behind this desk.”</p><p>      “Yamamoto-sama! You truly believe this girl capable of being the future Commander?”</p><p>      “I do.”</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Katakana - One of the two syllabaries of the Japanese language, with the other being the 'curvy' hiragana. Katakana is generally used for 'loan words' and foreign names, and is more angular.<br/>Shakkahou - Low level Kidou technique, creates a ball of red energy that can explode/set things on fire.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. An impressive display</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which Ukitake recalls his conversation with the headmaster, and Michiko impresses her two captains before sustaining an injury.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Warning: injury &amp; blood.</p><p>UPDATED 2021/01/30 : Added the above warning &amp; summary, corrected some spelling and grammar mistakes.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Chamber of Elites.</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>The training arena they were given was located at the very edge of the campus, and had been reinforced with several kidou barriers allowing for graduating candidates to demonstrate the full extents of their skills to any military representatives who had been invited. Officially the room was simply named Arena 6-1, but over the years the students had come to refer to it as <strong><em> seiei no heya</em></strong>, due to the number of graduates quickly becoming high-ranking officers in the three military branches of Seireitei after passing through this particular doujyou.</p><p>     When Shunsui had drawn his blades from the scabbards, Michiko had simply flicked her wrists up, and the uchigatana had released from the strange chains that had attached them to her forearms just a few hours previously. From his position across from her, Shunsui can see that the blades were still attached by the pommels to those chains, effectively making it impossible for anyone to disarm her. “Well ain’t that a neat trick! Would the little lady like to strike first?”</p><p>     “Only if you think you will survive to counter, Shuu-kun!”</p><p>     From the seating area nearby, Jyuushirou watches in amazement as Michiko takes her first ever zanjyuutsu lesson with Shunsui. It was as if she had been fighting with those two blades her whole life, and had just needed a little nudge to unlock her memories of that skill. He sees the moment when the hesitation on Shunsui’s face and in his movements disappears, only to be replaced by pride and perhaps a touch of fear. </p><p>     His own heart is close to overflowing with pride for the child who had never allowed herself to be beaten down or broken.  As he watches, he thinks back on what the headmaster had said of the young girl.</p><p> </p><hr/><p>   </p><p>  The current headmaster of the Spiritual Arts Academy is a kind and elderly gentleman by the name of Endou Takehiko. He is a man with great respect for members of the Gotei, but he does not take kindly to criticism from any party.</p><p>     “Endou-sensei, thank you for taking the time to speak with me.”</p><p>     “Of course, of course! Anything to assist an esteemed Captain of the Gotei such as yourself, Ukitake-sama. Now, can I assume that you are here about the girl?”</p><p>     “Indeed.”</p><p>     He pushes his spectacles higher onto his nose before gesturing at the file on the desk in front of him, “You know, I have stared at this file so many times since her name was first mentioned this morning, but I just could not bring myself to read it,” he pauses to open the file, and reads the first page. “What’s this? Ukitake-sama, were you aware that you are listed here as her next of kin?”</p><p>     “Yes. I have known little Michiko since she was very young, and we became something like siblings very quickly. After her family was killed last year I had looked into formerly adopting her, but my elders were less than keen on the idea.”</p><p>     “Right. So are you here as a friend, or as a guardian?”</p><p>     “Perhaps a bit of both.”</p><p>     “Okay. Let’s have a little look here then,” looking down at the file, he begins reading aloud. “Exemplary records in all areas, no prior disciplinary actions, though some students have tried to lodge complaints against her for ‘injuries beyond necessity’. After just one semester she has been recommended for advancement, which would see her graduate in less than the standard six years!” He shakes his head in amazement and disbelief. “I hope you don’t mind me saying, Ukitake-sama, but you seem slightly surprised.”</p><p>     Jyuushirou nods briefly. “Well, Michiko has always been intelligent beyond her years, not to mention tenacious and fearless, but the complaints surprise and concern me.”</p><p>     Endou offers a sympathetic smile. “None of these complaints were advanced to the point of investigation, simply because the instructors would never agree with the claims being made. I have had to scold these instructors more than a few times for referring to the students as ‘pansies’ or words to that effect. Is there something in particular that concerns you?”</p><p>     “Well, it is only a theory, but I wonder if these students were goading Michiko into using more force in an attempt to have her disciplined and expelled. If that is the case, then I am very concerned that it will only get worse if the students were to be informed—”</p><p>     “Ukitake-sama, I have already written the speech that I will be delivering to my students on the matter. Fujimori Michiko will be named, and to use the words of Genryuusai-sama, as the guilty party, but primarily as a victim. I will also be informing them that she has been acquitted on the premise of self-defense, and thus allowed to continue her studies. My decision on this is final, and will not be altered or influenced in any way.”</p><p>     “I would never seek to undermine or influence you in such a way, Endou-sensei. If I may, could I please ask if it would be possible to protect Michiko from her fellow students who may choose to seek revenge?”</p><p>     “Revenge and vigilantism have always been against our code here at the Academy. I do, however, share your concern. I will reiterate the punishments for actions such as these.”</p><p>     “Thank you very much, Endou-sensei.”</p><p>     “As I am sure you are aware, nothing like this has ever happened in the entire history of the Academy, and quite frankly I hope that it will never happen again. In his great wisdom, Yamamoto-sama has allowed me to decide on the best course of action. My decision is to address the facts as soon as possible to prevent rumours, and then attempt to move towards normality once more. This is why the students are still being kept in their rooms.”</p><p>     “<em>Kuchi wa wazawai no moto</em>.”</p><p>     “Indeed, the mouth often is the origin of disasters. A very appropriate expression for this rather terrible situation. Now then, young Fujimori-san can skip the upcoming assembly, but I will be expecting to see her returning to her classes as normal from tomorrow, so that she does not fall behind. Was there anything else troubling you, Ukitake-sama?”</p><p>     “I was rather hoping to broach the topic of Michiko receiving a more…private curriculum; perhaps more independent study instead of lectures and classes?”</p><p>     “Would that not only alienate her further? I respect your desire to protect her, but I do believe that any delay in reintroducing young Fujimori-san into the student body would lead to more problems. Not to mention that this proposal of independent study and private lessons could make her fellow students even more resentful, for they would believe that she is receiving ‘special treatment’, or something along those lines.”</p><p> </p><hr/><p>    </p><p>At first, Michiko had been worried about facing Shunsui—he was a respected and powerful Captain in the Gotei Thirteen, and she was a first-year Academy student. The skill gap was immeasurable, but she knew that the best way to study zanjyuutsu was by duelling others. Michiko also knew that she had already surpassed all of her classmates, so she decided to enjoy the challenge of duelling someone who could not only strike back, but also stay standing. She mirrors the ways in which Shunsui handles his twinned zanpakutou to strike, block, and parry, before using those same techniques against him. Her small stature allows for her to outmaneuver and dodge his strikes, which also means that she can immediately use her own blades to counterattack. His countenance begins to shift after she draws the first blood.</p><p>As they continue their first duel, the tannoy system crackles back to life with the announcement of a second assembly. Michiko’s concentration drops for a fraction of a second, but that’s all Shunsui needs to successfully land a strike to her lower torso—directly over the wound she had sustained the night before. She crumples onto the floor almost as soon as Shunsui pulls his wakizashi out of her stomach.</p><p>     He kneels next to her head. “Uh-oh. Mikko-chan, are you okay?”</p><p>     “Mhm. I just need a moment,” she lies down reluctantly with Shunsui’s help.</p><p>     Jyuushirou rushes over and activates kaidou over the wound, “Here, I’ve picked up some skill in kaidou over the years. Mikko, just try to relax, okay?”</p><p>     “Jyuushi, please don’t push yourself…” her words fade as she falls unconscious.</p><p>     Jyuushirou and Shunsui share several looks of concern as the former continues his attempts to stop the profuse bleeding. “Kyouraku, does this seem like too much blood to you?”</p><p>     “Should I fetch one of the nurses?” He asks, shifting to get to his feet.</p><p>     “No, I think I got it. Mikko, can you open your eyes?”</p><p>     “Jyuushi, Shuushuu…sorry. I got distracted.” Above them, the tannoy announcement plays again. Michiko’s face shifts from pained to fearful, and quickly back again when she tries to sit up.</p><p>     “Stay still, little owl!”</p><p>     “Kyouraku’s right, Mikko. You need to stay still for once. Headmaster Endou has already excused you from this assembly, so please try not to move.”</p><p>     “That means he is telling them, doesn’t it?”</p><p>     “It does. I know it may not seem like it right now, but it really is the best course of action given the circumstances. Think of it this way: A good portion of the students here have family either in the nobility or in Seireitei, or perhaps both, right? So by presenting the facts quickly, Endou-sensei is trying to stop rumours from circling.”</p><p>     “I guess that does make sense. You were both worried about all this blood, right?”</p><p>     “It did seem like a lot,” admitted Shunsui.</p><p>     “The hakama that I used to wrap my blades…did you notice that it had been cut?”</p><p>     “It did look a bit frayed, now that you mention it. Ukitake?”</p><p>     “Honestly, I was too focused on what was inside the cloth to even realise that it was a hakama. Mikko, you don’t have to tell us—”</p><p>     “No, I want to. I don’t know exactly what happened, but I think one of those boys used a dagger or something similar to rip that hakama open. I didn’t notice it until I was back in my room, but I was bleeding. Shuu-kun’s attack must have opened it up again, and that’s maybe why I was bleeding more than normal. Captain Unohana-sama and her Lieutenant both tried to heal it yesterday, and I guess I forgot about it.”</p><p>     “Let’s get you back to your room while the other students are at assembly. This wound needs more time to heal.”</p><p>     “Right! Hold on tight little owl, ‘cos there’s no way I’m letting you walk.” With some help from Jyuushirou, the two men manage to lift Michiko's small form onto Shunsui's back. Her feet rest on his forearms, and her hands disappear into his.</p><p>     “Thank-you, Shuushuu. I’m sorry for causing you both so much worry.”</p><p>     Jyuushirou reaches over and squeezes her shoulder. “We’ll always worry about you, Mikko! That’s what it means to be family.”</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>     Some five minutes earlier, the only sound in the corridors was the quiet shuffling of sandals as the students were once more led to the auditorium. Byakuya absently wondered why it was that he felt more anxious about this assembly than he had been about the one earlier that morning. At the doors to the auditorium stood Instructor Aoyama, who taught the advanced kidou courses. Aoyama Jirou was a fearsome man who was never afraid to mock any student he thought was weak or ‘on the easy road’ due to their noble status. </p><p>     He scowled at the students as they filtered through the doorway, and seemed to take immense pleasure from reiterating the Headmaster’s threats. “Remain silent, boys and girls. The headmaster’s threat of silencing kidou was not made idly or in jest. Regardless, I will take great pleasure in binding shut the lips of anyone who still chooses to ignore it!”</p><p>     Headmaster Endou Takehiko had little patience for the snobbish attitudes that most of the student body had been raised with. The announcement for the second assembly had just finished playing again, and it would continue repeating until he once again took his place at the front of the auditorium. He had specifically written this announcement with not-so-subtle threats of binding kidou being used against any student who chose to ignore the order of silence. As dangerous as it was to speak and think ill of the dead, Endou feels a deep loathing for the two boys—not for putting the Academy under scrutiny from the noble houses, but for the poor girl who had been quite literally dragged into the situation. Standing in the wings of the auditorium for the second time that day, he cannot shift the picture of the young girl’s face from his mind. The heavy doors at the back of the assembly hall close once more. </p><p>     With a deep sigh, he pushes his spectacles higher onto his nose before moving to the podium, “Good evening, students. As stated in this morning’s assembly, two of our third year students were killed last night here on the grounds of the Academy. Before I continue, I will read to you all one of our core commandments. ‘Acts of assault, physical or otherwise, towards any student or staff member are punishable by exclusion and the sealing of <strong><em> reiryoku </em></strong>’. Additionally, there is a clause that states the following. ‘Defensive actions taken against assaulters may be excused depending on the facts of the case’. Now, I’m sure most of you possess the mental capacity needed to determine why it is that I mention these, hm? For the sake of utter transparency, I will make this absolutely clear. Last night, Hamasaki Gorou and Iwata Hayato victimised and assaulted the first year student Fujimori Michiko. This has been proven beyond a doubt by Captain Unohana Retsu, so do not consider for even a second of thinking otherwise.”</p><p>     Towards the back of the hall, a group of older students begin shouting profanities, only to be forcibly silenced by members of the faculty using the kidou technique <strong><em> shibireyubi </em></strong>.</p><p>     “Thank-you. May that serve as a demonstration of how serious I was when I stated that I required complete silence. Had these boys not been killed, they would have faced immediate expulsion and the sealing of their spiritual powers. In his position of Captain-Commander and founder of this Academy, Yamamoto Genryuusai-sama acquitted the child based on the evidence of self-defense, and she will therefore be returning to classes from tomorrow. Before I excuse you, I will say one last thing. Think very carefully on the commandment that I quoted earlier, for any acts of violence against the true victim of this entire ordeal will be met with severe consequences. You will remain silent whilst you are escorted back to your dormitories, and your evening meals will be delivered to you.”</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Seiei no heya - Lit. 'chamber of elites'<br/>Reiryoku - 'Spirit strength/spiritual power'<br/>Shibireyubi - 'Numbing Finger'. Kidou technique, number/rank unknown. Paralyses the target, leaving them fully aware of their surroundings but unable to move or speak.<br/>Kuchi wa wazawai no moto - 'The mouth is the origin of disaster', as translated in dialogue. An alternate translation would be 'Out of the mouth comes evil'.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. The next day</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which Michiko is reintroduced to the Academy, and the students learn of her strength.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>WARNING : (Vague) reference to nudity.<br/>UPDATED 2021/01/30 : Added the above summary and warning ;</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>     She wakes up before sunrise and wonders just how effective Headmaster Endou’s speech had been the previous evening. Jyoushirou had explained the night before that she was expected to be back in her classes today, so after changing into her uniform she silently slips out of the dormitory wing and heads outside for her morning routine. The courtyard was still off-limits, and Michiko once more wonders if she’ll ever be able to go back out there. Against her left forearm, the zanpakutou of Seiryuu stirs.</p><p>
  <em>      You will never be alone.  </em>
</p><p>     “Good morning, Seiryuu.”</p><p>
  <em>      Don’t be forgettin’ about me! </em>
</p><p>     “Byakko, good morning to you as well.”</p><p>
  <em>      This routine of yours…it’s good ya start so early—we’ve much to teach ya. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>      You mean before you sleep the day away. Fur-ball. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>      Shaddup! Overgrown snake. </em>
</p><p>     “Cut it out, guys! We’re all a team now, right? If you wouldn’t mind, I should quite like to focus on my laps without having to babysit the pair of you!”</p><p>     Thoroughly scolded, the dual spirits settle down as Michiko begins her first lap. She pushes through the pain of the previous evening’s duel against Shunsui, and after just three laps she has returned to the form she had been in before the entire ordeal. Whenever her thoughts threaten to drift back towards those dark moments, she instead focuses on the morning mist and the dew sparkling in the early morning light. After a further seven laps, Michiko moves towards the stone walls she uses for climbing and balancing. As she draws near, she sees the form of another student sitting atop one of the walls.</p><p>     Her chest flutters as he jumps down from the wall and comes into view. She runs the rest of the way, but stops short of embracing him. “I usually have the whole campus to myself!”</p><p>     “Good morning to you as well, Michiko-san.”</p><p>     “Byakuya-san, as happy as I am to see you, why is it that you are out here?”</p><p>     “I wanted to see you. Endou-sensei told everyone that you would be back in classes today, so I thought I would see how you were feeling.” He hopes that the chill in the air is enough to disguise the flush in his cheeks as Michiko moves closer.</p><p>     “How very sweet of you,” she sits with her back against the wall before continuing. “I honestly do not know how I am feeling. I mean, I am obviously very glad that I was not expelled. I just have this huge knot in my stomach whenever I think about seeing anyone. Apart from you, of course.”</p><p>     Byakuya grins widely as he sits next to her. “And your two captains?”</p><p>     “Well, Shuu-kun’s been given the task of providing me with additional zanjyuutsu training, so I will be seeing him a lot more.”</p><p>     “Captain Kyouraku-sama is giving you private lessons?!”</p><p>     “Mhm. Don’t you know about his zanpakutou? Katen Kyoukotsu is currently the only sealed state daishou zanpakutou in the whole of Seireitei.”</p><p>     “Right, I guess it would be quite difficult to train yourself in dual-wielding.”</p><p>     “It’s…different. Very different. I had my first lesson with him during that second assembly yesterday, over in the ‘Chamber of Elites’.”</p><p>     “I was rather relieved when I realised that you were not there for that.”</p><p>     Her head dips. “How much did Endou-sensei reveal about it all?”</p><p>     “Nothing too specific, but he very quickly framed you as a victim. He used the phrase ‘true victim’, which I was very glad about. Some of the older boys were less than happy about it, and the instructors had to follow through on the threat of binding kidou to silence them.”</p><p>     “Good! Maybe I should work on my own binding techniques, just in case.”</p><p>     “Perhaps, but there was also a very clear threat of severe consequences for anyone who tries to harm you in any way. I hope that no one does try, but it would be good to see the teachers actually do something to protect you.”</p><p>     Her eyebrows shoot up quizzically. “Byakuya-san, have you been watching me?”</p><p>     The flush in his cheeks deepens. “I-Yes, I have.” He can no longer meet her gaze, and he bites his lip nervously as he waits for her response.</p><p>     “I am rather unsure if I should be flattered or concerned. Exactly how long have you been watching me for?” With his gaze firmly fixed on the ground, he doesn’t see her smile.</p><p>     He busies himself by plucking blades of grass. “Since our first day. As soon as I saw you, Michiko-san, I felt…something,” admitting his feelings fills him with hope and dread in equal measures.</p><p>     Just before the silence tips into discomforting territory, she giggles. “Gosh…I’m sorry,” she stifles her giddy laughter when he looks at her again. </p><p>     “It may seem rather sudden, but this is how I feel. I can no longer admire you from a distance, Michiko-san. I never had the courage to approach you, but I always wanted to.”</p><p>     Her expression turns solemn. “I think…I do not think it would have been good for you if you had approached me any sooner. You would have been dragged into those terrible rumours, and I would have felt truly awful about it. I am just glad that you did not flee when you saw Byakko, and helped me to find the strength to move away from that tree.”</p><p>     “I was rather terrified, but I knew I needed to help you. It may sound crazy, but something woke me up and told me to run to that courtyard.”</p><p>     “It does not sound crazy at all. I was having dreams of the stars trying to talk to me almost every night, but I could never quite hear what they were trying to say. That’s why I was in that courtyard. I wanted to look at the stars, to see if it would help me hear the voices better. Falling asleep out there was seriously stupid, but when I did…Byakko and Seiryuu materialised right before my eyes, and leapt from the dream into reality.”</p><p>     “Michiko…what if our dreams had been connected somehow? I have also been dreaming of something trying to talk to me! In my dreams, I stand inside of a whirlwind of razor sharp petals, and I hear whispering. Last night I had the same dream, but something changed. I clearly heard someone calling out to me, and when I responded, the whirlwind collapsed, and I was suddenly standing in that courtyard, with a heap of bloodsoaked petals at my feet. I woke up when I heard the scream.”</p><p>     Against her forearms, Seiryuu and Byakko were stirring in the same way they had done yesterday before Byakko had spoken to Shunsui. “That…it should be impossible,” her eyes lose focus as she fights against the two spirits to warn him. “But something even more impossible is about to happen.” She blinks rapidly, and he sees her eyes change colour. From her usual silver, her left eye goes blue, and her right eye red. He stops breathing as those eerie eyes pierce his soul. </p><p>    “Hello, white knight. Don’t be afraid; Mikko’s still 'ere, listenin’.” Though the voice is still Michiko’s, Byakuya notices that with each sentence, her eyes alternate in intensity - leaving one brighter than the other. “The phenomenon you described as ‘linked dreaming’ was rather accurate. Mikko was unaware of ya, but we knew. What we did not know was if Mikko would be able to summon us last night. We reached out to ya soul with summat like a distress signal. Your dreams, continue listening to that voice, for it will soon become very important. She’s fightin’ again, dragon! You two, truly…soulmates.”</p><p>    He finally breathes as the strange colours fade from her irides, but he is still unable to formulate any words. </p><p>    Michiko presses her fingers into her temples and groans, “Gods, I hope they stop doing that soon. What Seiryuu said just before I came back…do you believe such a thing is possible?”     </p><p>    Instead of answering, he brings his face closer to hers and kisses her deeply. He had believed it to be true from the moment he first saw her.</p><p> </p><hr/><p>   </p><p>  They had remained at the base of that wall until the cafeteria’s bell had rung out to announce that breakfast was now being served. The kisses they shared in that time had slowly grown longer and deeper compared to the short and light pecks of the previous lunchtime. His arms remained firmly against his sides regardless of Michiko’s many attempts to touch him, and despite her numerous, wordless invitations for him to touch her. They finally and rather reluctantly stopped after Ryuuko warned her of approaching students. Even after Byakuya drops the bombshell of his grandfather’s words from the previous morning, Michiko cannot stop smiling as they walk towards the cafeteria. To their surprise, the various instructors quietly emerge from their classrooms and break rooms to observe the behaviours of the students around her. None of them attempt to speak to her, but she still notices the looks of pity on their faces. </p><p>     The cafeteria falls silent as soon as she walks in, but with Byakuya at her side and Ryuuko in her heart, she feels stronger than ever as she selects her preferred breakfast of <strong><em> tamagogohan </em> </strong> and sits down. Even with the eyes of close to a hundred students firmly fixed on her, she exchanges a hushed <strong><em> itadakimasu </em> </strong>with her companion. The hall remains as silent as a graveyard for what feels like an eternity for both Michiko and Byakuya, with the only sounds being muffled coughs and the scraping and clattering of chopsticks. </p><p>     On the other side of the hall, a small group of older females were also growing anxious with every passing second of silence. Slowly, one of the girls stands up and walks towards where Michiko was sitting. She almost changes her mind as Byakuya notices her approach and stares at her before informing the purple haired girl.</p><p>     With a leaden sigh, Michiko stands up from her seat to face the student. The silence in the cafeteria is finally broken as various groups of students begin whispering about what this exchange would be about.</p><p>     Tears well in the older girl’s eyes, “Hamasaki Gorou, he did it to me too. Last year, we were dating, but I never said anything because I thought it was normal! I just wish I could have been strong like you had to be, Fujimori-chan. I’m so sorry…”</p><p>     Michiko is speechless for a long moment after Ryuuko confirms the truth of the girl’s words, so she simply reaches out to hold the other girl’s hand.</p><p>     The older student surprises everyone in the hall by kneeling to embrace her. “My name’s Izumi Hibiki,” she whispered. “I’m glad he’s dead.”</p><p>     From where she had been sitting, several more female students stand up with tears in their eyes, and rush over to their friend. “Hibiki-chan, let’s freshen up before class?” one of them prompts.</p><p>     Another kneels in front of Michiko. “Fujimori-chan, you let us know if anyone gives you any trouble. We’ve been wanting to practice some new kidou techniques, and we will gladly use them on your behalf. I’m Naomi, and these are Airi, Kanoe and Himawari.” she gestures to each girl in turn as she says their names. The first girl has her pink hair in braided buns, the second sports eyes the colour of burnt orange, and the third wears a <strong><em> tenugui </em> </strong>around her neck. </p><p>     “Okay ladies, let’s break this up! As lovely as it is to see you all supporting each other and banding together, it’s time for class.”</p><p> </p><hr/><p>    </p><p>     Her zanjyuutsu instructor had been informed that she had already forged her zanpakutou, so she was quickly excused from the group exercises to practice her techniques on the other side of the doujyou. She had completely destroyed five of the training dummies before the rest of the class had finished their warm-ups, and was about to set up the sixth when the instructor had approached her once more. After a brief exchange of words, Sensei Hasegawa had announced a last minute change to the lesson he had planned: instead of the students pairing off with each other to practice their combat techniques, they would all face Michiko. </p><p>     She had jokingly suggested being blindfolded after she had quickly worked her way through the line of classmates, but Sensei Hasegawa had instead suggested that she face him. The doujyou had fallen silent until Michiko agreed to the duel, and the students had then quickly clamoured to secure prime spots at the edge of the arena.</p><p>     At his behest, she makes the first strike. What follows is a flurry of blades that none of the students can follow—except for Byakuya, who is easily able to track the fierce girl’s movements around the arena. Using her small stature to her advantage, Michiko is able to duck and weave around their instructor’s zanpakutou before inevitably landing her own hits.</p><p>     His first mistake had been his hesitation; because even though the current duel had been his own suggestion, he was certain that the small and innocent looking student would not be a serious threat to the man who had studied under Captain Commander Yamamoto himself. Allowing her to make the first attack had quickly proven to be his second mistake, as she had seemingly flown through the air before clashing against the zanpakutou he had only just managed to block her attack with. She had not even blinked as she used his own defensive maneuver against him, propelling her small form over his head and slicing through the back of his robes before landing behind him. To his surprise and chagrin, blood drips from the edges of her zanpakutou as he turns to face her. </p><p>     His third and final mistake was his severe underestimation of her skill, for he had quickly concluded that her first strike must have been beginner’s luck, or perhaps a fluke, before closing the distance between them once more. Even as she continually dodges his attacks, he sticks to his initial conclusion that luck was simply on her side. He still refuses to consider her as anything more than a lucky child when she lands her fifth strike. After her tenth successful blow, he finally notices that whilst he was sweating profusely and panting like an old dog, her cheeks have not even reddened from exertion. Slowly, he comes to the embarrassing realisation that he could not continue to view this girl as an extremely lucky first-year student; her talent was as real as the blood that was now seeping from his numerous wounds, and her seemingly innate skills alone would easily threaten any Seated Officer of the Gotei Thirteen.</p><p>     The duel continues long past the bell that indicates the end of the first period—luckily, Zanjyuutsu classes were always scheduled as double periods and would be followed by a half hour break. Regardless of that fact, none of the students would have wanted to risk being caught in the crosshairs by alerting the fighters to the end of the class. All they can do is continue to watch as their instructor’s blood drips from his body as well as from the tips of Michiko’s zanpakutou. Were it not for her student robes, they would have easily believed that they were watching two instructors, or indeed two shinigami fighting. Amongst the shocked and surprised faces, Byakuya smiles as he realises two things. Firstly, the entire Academy would soon learn that they should have never dismissed or underestimated her. Secondly, he concludes that his love for her is deepening with each passing minute. </p><p>     The students are so engrossed in the fight they can barely follow that they do not notice the arrival of Captain Kyouraku Shunsui, who chuckles to himself as he leans against a nearby pillar to observe the fight that would soon conclude in either defeat or surrender. He watches with pride and amazement as Michiko handles her blades with a mastery that he had only obtained after years of relentless training. For her to have acquired such skill in under two days should have been impossible. Even if their first zanjyuutsu lesson the previous evening hadn’t been cut short, there was simply no way that he could think of to explain how quickly she had developed her talent. He has to accept that the lessons he had been devising since the previous evening would not be sufficient, which then leaves him wondering how to best approach the seemingly impossible task he had been given. </p><p>     The inevitable conclusion of the duel comes with the ringing of the second bell. Sensei Hasegawa’s zanpakutou clatters to the ground, followed closely by him dropping to his knees in complete and utter defeat. All he can do is watch as his blood begins to pool in front of him. He now has to accept that it was he himself who had been lucky, for none of her attacks had sliced through his veins, or been deep enough to damage his organs. A slow clapping from near the doujyou’s entrance breaks the silence as it echoes around the chamber. Several of the students had been startled by the sudden sound and were now turning to seek out the origin of the noise.</p><p>     “What a spectacle! Please forgive my intrusion, but that silence was going on for far too long. I do believe you kids have a break before your next class, so why don’t you all go and get some fresh air, hm?”</p><p>     “Kyouraku!" he growls. "This is my doujyou. These are my students. No one dismisses them but me!”</p><p>     “Awh c’mon, Hasegawa-san! It was only a suggestion.”</p><p>     “Oh, well that makes it so much better! Class dismissed. Not you, Fujimori.”</p><p>     Many of the students make hesitant bows to the captain who had appeared so suddenly as they slowly filter out of the doujyou. Byakuya is rather tempted to try and stay behind, and Shunsui notices his reluctance to leave. “Would you please close the doors, Kuchiki-dono?” he winks rather conspicuously at the young boy, and smiles before turning back to Michiko and Hasegawa. Byakuya bows deeply, even though the man had already turned away from him, before walking towards the large double doors. Even without the wink, Byakuya could infer from the ambiguity in his words that the captain was allowing him to stay. He smiles as he realises that he can easily hide in one of the shadowed alcoves near the front corner of the chamber, and still hear the conversation that starts as soon as he closes the doors.</p><p>     “I certainly didn’t intend to undermine your authority, Hasegawa-san.”</p><p>     “Yeah, I know. After being so utterly humiliated, I thought I could regain at least a small amount of face by speaking to you in that way.”</p><p>     “I figured as much. Now, I assume you had a reason for keeping this girl behind?”</p><p>     “Indeed. Fujimori Michiko, you are no longer welcome in this class. I will be making arrangements to have you transferred to the advanced class taken by the fifth and sixth year students, who may prove more of a challenge.”</p><p>     “Is it still Old Satou-sensei running that class?”</p><p>     “Of course. Why do you ask such a thing, Kyouraku?”</p><p>     “Our dear Commander has tasked me with providing additional zanjyuutsu sessions to young Fujimori-chan as the only daishou zanpakutou wielder currently in the Gotei, so I’d like to prepare her for the challenges she’ll be facing in that class.”</p><p>     “Good luck, Kyouraku. You’ll need it.”</p><p>     The last of the blood drips onto the matting beneath her feet, and Michiko finally recalls her blades as they walk away. From behind them, they hear Sensei Hasegawa wincing and groaning as he examines his various injuries. The tension in the air finally dissipates as Shunsui opens the doors for himself and the two students. He can no longer contain his laughter as the doujyou doors swing closed behind him. “Oh boy! It’s been far too long since Hasegawa was last humbled so thoroughly.”</p><p>     “Shuu-kun, why are you here? I mean, I still have hours of classes left, and surely you did not come all this way just to see me. Did something else happen?”</p><p>     “Well, my original plan had been to talk you through some of the ideas I came up with last night for your additional lessons. But after what we just witnessed there, I’ll have to go back to the drawing board!”</p><p>     “Forgive me, Captain Kyouraku-sama, but is Hasegawa-sensei’s decision to move Michiko-san to such an advanced class really the best idea? What I mean is, would it not be better to instead schedule your private tutoring sessions to align with this class?”</p><p>     “I like the way you think, Kuchiki-dono! Unfortunately, that is not an option that is available to us. My specific instructions are to provide additional zanjyuutsu lessons for Mikko. Regardless of that, without jumping through all sorts of hoops to officially join the academy’s register of instructors, Mikko-chan wouldn't receive any class credits from our lessons, and that rather annoying technicality would have consequences somewhere down the line.”</p><p>     “Well, I think it’s rather sweet that you seem so concerned for me, Byakuya-san.”</p><p>     “And on that note, I think it’s about time for me to head back to Seireitei. Come over here and gimme a squeeze, little owl!”</p><p>     She makes a show of rolling her eyes before burying her head into his neck. “Gods, you can be so embarrassing! Will you come back soon?”</p><p>     “I’ll be back tomorrow after you finish your classes. I’ve already reserved a doujyou for the evening so I’ll collect you from your room, okay?”</p><p>     “Sounds good,” she pauses as the bell rings out once more. “I guess it is time for class again. <em><strong> Mata ashita</strong>, </em>Shuu-kun!”    </p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>     News of her victory over Sensei Hasegawa had quickly spread throughout the Academy, and just as Byakuya had hoped, it seems to stop any of Michiko’s previous aggressors from approaching her, or even glancing in her direction. </p><p>     The pair had just settled into their seats for their final lecture of the day, when her presence in the headmaster’s office was requested over the tannoy system. Byakuya had grabbed her hand before she could stand up, and offered to bring her bag to her room if she had not returned by the end of the class. She had been sorely tempted to kiss him regardless of the many eyes that had turned to see her leave, but instead she had squeezed his fingers and smiled before moving to the doors.</p><p>     Michiko now sits in the small reception area outside of Headmaster Endou’s office, and cannot help but worry about why she is here once more, as the door in front of her opens. “Please come in, Fujimori-san. I do apologise for calling you away from your lesson in such a way. Would you like some tea?”</p><p>     “No, thank you.”</p><p>     He gestures to the second person in the room as he sits down. “This is Tachibana Nanari-san, who acts as one of our student counsellors. She has kindly agreed to sit in to hopefully help you feel more at ease.” </p><p>     “A pleasure to meet you, Tachibana-sensei.” </p><p>     “Firstly, I would like to apologise both personally and on behalf of the Academy for the atrocities those two boys committed against you.”</p><p>     “That is rather unnecessary, <strong><em> Kouchousensei </em></strong>-sama, but I am grateful nonetheless.”</p><p>     “Captain Ukitake spoke rather highly of you yesterday; intelligent, fearless, tenacious. I think it would be fair to add resilient to that list. But that’s a tangent that I will stop myself from going down, and instead discuss why it is that I asked for you to come here. I have in front of me a transfer request form submitted by Sensei Hasegawa. You are aware of this form, yes?”</p><p>     “Yes.”</p><p>     Lifting the form from the desk, he makes a show of flipping through the numerous pages before placing it back down with a sigh. “He submitted something of an essay to explain his reasonings behind this request, but I must admit that my eyesight is not what it once was, so I have not actually read most of it,” another pause, this time to remove his spectacles. “I thought that it would be quicker to hear first-hand exactly what happened in his doujyou this morning. I appreciate that this is not the first time you have been in this room, and asked much the same question, but would you mind sharing what you remember?”</p><p>     “Of course. When the class began, Hasegawa-sensei informed me that I would spend the lesson doing independent practice against the training dummies. I had rather quickly destroyed five of those dummies before Sensei suggested that I face off against the other students instead. After I had defeated all of them, he suggested that I duel against him. It was not until the final bell rang out that the duel concluded.”</p><p>     “From what I’ve heard, it was a rather fierce battle and a resounding victory for you. You reportedly suffered no injuries, yet Instructor Hasegawa has sword wounds across much of his body. How much do you recall of the fight itself?”</p><p>     “I must admit that I had pushed it from my mind, but I do recall much of it. I remember having the distinct impression that he was not taking me seriously, and that it had dulled his blade. I also found it rather easy to outmaneuver him, but I believe that is more to do with my small stature, rather than a reflection of Hasegawa-sensei’s capabilities.”</p><p>     “You say that you were able to easily outmaneuver him; do you mean by blocking, dodging, and counter-attacking?”</p><p>     “For much of the fight, yes. However, I also used his defensive maneuvers against him. For example, Hasegawa-sensei blocked my first attack, and I used the force from the colliding blades to propel myself over his head.”</p><p>     “Fascinating! Truly incredible. I am rather inclined to agree to this transfer request based solely on what I have heard of your talents, but I would like to hear your opinion.”</p><p>     “I would not wish to sound conceited, but I concluded some weeks ago that I had surpassed everyone in that class. This transfer both excites and terrifies me; I would be excited for the challenges that I would surely face, but I find that I am rather fearful of how the students in that class would treat me.”</p><p>     “A valid concern. However, Sensei Satou has a rather apt motto that actually hangs in his doujyou as a <strong><em> kakejiku </em></strong>: ‘to underestimate is to surrender’. The last time a student transferred into that class, Sensei Satou actually had his students blindfold themselves before bringing in the new addition. Without introduction or any knowledge of who the new student was, he had them all fight against him—whilst still blindfolded. One by one, they all fell before the unseen student. When they had removed their blindfolds, none could believe that the scrawny kid in front of them had been capable of such a feat. In other words, I believe that once you demonstrate your skills and capabilities, it may be the other students in that class who come to fear you!”</p><p>     “Thank-you. I would very much like to be transferred.”</p><p>     “Excellent! I will inform Sensei Satou that you will be joining his class from tomorrow, and I will even suggest that he employs that same technique of having the students blindfolded. All of the zanjyuutsu classes are taught during the same time slots, so we do not even have to fret about changing any of your other classes. The final bell will ring soon, so please don’t worry about returning to your class. You shouldn’t experience any issues with the hall monitors, but this note will explain why you are in the corridors instead of in class.”</p><p>     “Thank you for everything you have done, <em> Kouchousensei </em>-sama.”</p><p>***</p><p>     The bell signalling the end of the day rings out as Michiko returns to her room and falls forward onto her bed, shrugging off her kosode and flinging it across the room as she does so.</p><p>
  <em>      Does something worry you, Mikko? </em>
</p><p>     Though these conversations are inside her mind, she turns her head to one side to look at the blue hilted zanpakutou. “Seiryuu, would any of this have happened if I had not gone outside that night?”</p><p>
  <em>      Yes. We knew that you were close to hearing us. </em>
</p><p>     “The stars in my dreams…that was always you, wasn’t it? I almost feel guilty for not realising it sooner.”</p><p>
  <em>      For such a clever girl, you do speak such nonsense. Think back to that night almost a year ago now; after your family had left you for dead. </em>
</p><p>     “I was unconscious…there’s nothing to remember, Seiryuu.”</p><p>
  <em>      I am not asking you to remember. I am asking you to think, Mikko; how did you get away from that house, and how did you find the strength to climb that hill? </em>
</p><p>     “I guess…I knew something even worse could happen if I stayed. Jyoushi told me that it might have been some kind of adrenaline rush that got me away from there, and I accepted that as the truth, but I can feel now that it was never quite true. It wasn’t my brain that told me to escape; it was something deeper than that. Was that truly you, Seiryuu?”</p><p>
  <em>      It was mostly the tiger, but yes. We knew that an even greater darkness was about to fall over that house, and we knew that we had to save you. I grew my wings for the first time that night to keep you warm, and the tiger gave you the strength and the energy you needed—not just to escape, but also to survive! </em>
</p><p>     “But why? What did I ever do to deserve—”</p><p>
  <em>      <strong>Futagoza</strong> came to me one day to request that I watch over one who would be born on the last night of their zodiacal period of influence; they knew that this soul was destined for greatness, a potential that would have been greatly dimmed beneath <strong>Kaniza</strong>. </em>
</p><p>     “How could the twins have known such a thing?”</p><p>
  <em>      One of the greatest mysteries of all, and one that is unknown even to us. </em>
</p><p>     She buries her head into her pillow. “This is making my head hurt, Seiryuu!”</p><p>
  <em>      Then I shall retreat. Your white knight approaches, Mikko. </em>
</p><p>     The light tapping on the shouji screen comes as soon as Seiryuu leaves, “Michiko-san? It’s Byakuya. I brought your books.”</p><p>     “Would you like to come in?” She calls out after lifting her head. Michiko wonders if she had spoken loud enough, and flips onto her back. She is about to call out again when the door slides open. As he steps into the room, he blushes deeply and averts his eyes before scrunching them closed. After a long moment, she realises why. “Sorry, I completely forgot you were coming, so I rather hastily discarded my kosode…somewhere.”</p><p>     He opens one of his eyes but keeps his head bowed as he scans the room. He spots the garment on the floor next to a small basket filled with <strong><em> koshimaki</em></strong>, and he feels his face redden even more as he straightens. “I found it. Here, catch.”</p><p>     She grins at his bashfulness as she puts the kosode back on, “Byakuya-kun, are you truly as pure and innocent as you act? This is the second time in as many days that you have seen me in such a state of undress, after all!”</p><p>     Without turning around he responds. “My father raised me to have respect for a woman, especially if she is beautiful.”</p><p>     His final word stuns her into silence, and tears quickly gather in her eyes. She attempts to shed them silently as she searches for a handkerchief. Byakuya turns towards her when he hears sniffling, and feels his heart skip a beat at the sight of tears rolling over her cheeks. He wants to comfort her but he keeps his distance. “Michiko, why are you crying?”</p><p>     She gives up on her handkerchief hunt and perches on the edge of her bed. Byakuya waits for her to speak, but her emotions render her speechless.</p><p>     Just as it had done in the courtyard, his heart urges him forward, and he crosses the space between them before kneeling on the floor directly in front of her. “Was it something I said?” he asks nervously.</p><p>     She takes a shaky breath. “I have never been called that before.” </p><p>     “Nobody has ever called you beautiful?”</p><p>     “After how I spent my time before coming here, and after what happened the other night, I thought no one would ever look at me in that way. Especially someone like Byakuya-kun.” </p><p>     His palms are sweaty as he takes one of her hands between his own, and waits for her to look at him. “Every time I look at you, Michiko, I see the most beautiful girl in the whole of Soul Society. Regardless of your history, I still believe that to be the truth, and I strongly believe that I always will. Your past does not concern me, and it never will.” Tears still roll down her cheeks, and he brushes them away gently with his fingertips. </p><p>     A faint smile touches her lips when his hand lingers on her cheek. “What about your grandfather’s warning?”</p><p>     “As much as I respect him, I respect my father more. He wishes for me to be happy, and it is you who makes me happy, Michiko.”</p><p>     “What if I told you that most of those rumours were true?”</p><p>     “That does not concern me. Michiko, I said earlier that I had felt something since I first saw you. That feeling is love, and I feel it growing deeper and stronger with every passing moment. Fujimori Michiko, would you please be mine?”</p><p>     “I would like that very much.”</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Tamagogohan - 'tamago' = egg ; 'gohan' = white rice. A popular Japanese breakfast food of cooked rice topped/mixed with raw egg. Soy sauce optional.<br/>Itadakimasu - said before eating. Doesn't really translate well into English, closest transliteration would be 'I receive'.<br/>Tenugui - an extremely versatile cotton towel! The 'te' is represented by the kanji for 'hand', so this is often translated as a 'hand towel'. In this instance, the girl called Himawari is wearing one as a neck gaiter/warmer.<br/>Mata ashita - 'mata' = again ; 'ashita' = tomorrow. A farewell with the promise of meeting again the next day.<br/>Kouchousensei - 'kouchou' = principal ; 'sensei' = teacher. Can be translated to Headmaster, School Principal, and any other title meaning 'head of the school/academy'.<br/>Kakejiku - a hanging scroll. Can be a picture, a quote, or a combination of both.<br/>Futagoza - the Gemini constellation, a.k.a The Twins.<br/>Kaniza - lit. 'Crab star'. The Cancer constellation.<br/>Koshimaki - loincloth/kimono underskirt. No such thing as bras and pants in Soul Society at this time!</p><p>[is it very wrong for me to 'UwU' at my own writing?!]</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. A Plan is Hatched</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Kyouraku and Ukitake are told of a midnight rendezvous, and it's a long wait.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>UPDATED 2021/01/30 : Above summary added ; Better spacing</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Seireitei</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>Captain Kyouraku’s first stop upon his return to Seireitei had been to visit Ukitake in the Thirteenth Division’s compound, and share the news of Michiko’s astounding victory against their former classmate. They sit in a small inner courtyard, attached to the administrative building of the compound, watching as the cherry blossoms slowly cover the ground like snow.</p><p>     “Honestly, I don’t know why we continue to be amazed by Mikko’s skill!”</p><p>     “For me at least it’s because I still remember the condition she was in when I first met her; pale, broken, lifeless. The little owl that's emerged from that shell over the last year seems like an entirely different person!”</p><p>     “She’s worked incredibly hard to get where she is now—not just physically, but mentally. Freeing herself from the mental shackles that her family had bound her in,” he falls silent before finishing his thought.</p><p>     “You’ve got that look again, Ukitake. Like you’re wondering if any of those shackles might be creeping back in after the other night?”</p><p>     He confirms with a curt nod. “Did you see any sign of those shackles when you spoke with her?” He asks.</p><p>     “No,” his friend is clearly not convinced, so he elaborates. “Though I’m not sure how much of that was just from the presence of her new friend. I guess I’ll know for sure after our lesson tomorrow evening.”</p><p>     The tension lifts from his shoulders. “Until then, I suppose all we can really do is hope that Sensei Satou’s class isn’t too intimidated by little Mikko!” </p><p>     “Forgive my intrusion, Captains, but there is something else you can do,” says a voice from the dense foliage behind them.</p><p>     The voice is instantly recognisable to the two men, and they fall silent. Without so much as a single glance in the general direction of the voice, they wait for the hidden figure to either speak again, or step away from the shadows.</p><p>     They opt for the former. “There is a cave beneath <strong> <em>Soukyoku no oka</em> </strong>. Wait for midnight.” The rustling sounds in the direction of where the voice had come from tells them their unexpected visitor has already left.</p><p>     For a short while, the only sound is the wind passing through the trees.</p><p>     “A cave under the execution grounds?!” Jyuushirou exclaims in a hushed tone.</p><p>     “Seems so. Will you be making the pilgrimage?”</p><p>     “I would at least hear what she has to say.”</p><p>“Well, I reckon someone would have to be completely off their rocker to refuse a request from our Stealth Corps Chief!”</p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <strong>The Compound for Division Eight.</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>Captain Kyouraku Shunsui had returned to his office some hours later, but as hard as he tried, he had not been able to focus on anything other than the upcoming midnight rendezvous.</p><p>The office door slides to one side, and Kyouraku smiles as his Lieutenant walks backwards into the room, her arms laden with a tall stack of papers.</p><p>     Though she can barely see over the top of the stack, she knows Shunsui is sitting at his desk. “Captain, if you’re drinking in here, I’m gonna kill you!”</p><p>     “Lisa-chan, how can you be so cruel?! I am completely sober.”</p><p>     After finally putting down the stack of files, Yadoumaru Lisa straightens and cracks her back and neck. “That might actually be more concerning. Where abouts were you slacking off today anyway?”</p><p>     He leans back casually in his chair. “Here and there. Paid a visit to a little friend over at the Academy, then I visited with Ukitake. I popped out to the market and bought some candies, and then I came back here!” As he speaks, his Lieutenant sits cross-legged on the sofa and starts flicking through one of her preferred publications.</p><p>     “Everyone in Seireitei knows the name of your ‘little friend’ by now, y’know,” she says without glancing up from her magazine.</p><p>     Shunsui nods in acknowledgement before noticing Lisa had put the magazine even closer to her face. “Yeah, I know. Though I highly doubt anyone has bothered to learn the names of the two boys who put her in this predicament in the first place.”</p><p>     “Hamasaki Gorou and Iwata Hayato,” bringing her eyes away from her page, she glares at the expression on her Captain’s face. “You seem surprised.”</p><p>     “A little. I’m glad someone took notice though. Thank-you, Lisa-chan.”</p><p>     Lisa’s eyes flash with ire. “Those little scumbags need to be made an example of! Even if I have to personally plaster the streets of Rukongai with posters of their corpses, I’ll make sure that no one can ever forget their names. Every male soul in the whole society will learn what comes from such things!”</p><p>     “If only you were so passionate about your paperwork!" He says with a chuckle. "I really appreciate just knowing little Mikko-chan will have another friendly face to look for here in Seireitei,” he makes a mental note to introduce the two ladies to one another in the near future, and lapses into silence with a smile as he adds his Lieutenant’s name to the slowly growing list entitled ‘Friends for Mikko-chan’.</p><p>     Lisa perches on his desk, her magazine abandoned on the chair behind her. “When she graduates, will you petition for Fujimori-chan to be assigned here?”</p><p>     “I’ll certainly be trying! Ukitake will undoubtedly be doing the same, so either way we can be sure that she’ll be in good hands.”</p><p>     “Captain, I know I berate you for your sake habit, but why aren’t you drinking today?”</p><p>     “All of the ideas I came up with last night for Mikko-chan’s zanjyuutsu lessons went out the window this morning, when I saw her wipe the floor with Hasegawa! I think I’ll need a clear head to think of what else to do…any suggestions?”</p><p>     “I’ve not got a clue when it comes to daishou, you know that.”</p><p>     “After what I witnessed today, I also feel rather clueless,” he admits with a sigh.</p><p>     Midnight seems to approach far slower than normal, with every minute feeling like an hour, and each hour feeling like a year. </p><p>     In the compound of the Eighth Division, Kyouraku Shunsui has, so far, managed to stay out of his liquor collection by focusing solely on the fight he had witnessed that morning, and silently cursing himself for not taking notes. Even without the influence of alcohol, his recollection of the fight is hazy, and he can only clearly remember the moment when Hasegawa’s zanpakutou had fallen from his vice-like grip. He knows that he had arrived much earlier and seen close to an hour of the duel, and it bothers him, more than he will ever admit, that he can’t remember more. </p><p>     What he had told his Lieutenant earlier in the evening had been mostly true. He knew he would need to keep his mind free from the fog of sake to tackle the conundrum of providing the young Michiko with adequate training, but his alcohol of choice also had a terrible habit of making him fall asleep, and that could absolutely not happen tonight. </p><p>     Lieutenant Yadoumaru Lisa appears at the office door once more after noticing the glow of lanterns through the paper screens. When she sees that he is still working, she offers to sacrifice some of her ‘beauty sleep’ to assist him. His only response is to ask for the time, and when the bells toll to announce the arrival of midnight just a few moments later, he finally stands from his desk and mutters something about needing fresh air.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <strong>The Compound for Division Thirteen</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>     The evening had progressed in much the same way for Ukitake Jyuushirou, with his thoughts flitting back and forth between Michiko’s countless hardships over her short life, and the upcoming midnight meeting. </p><p>     The man he considers to be his Lieutenant, despite his frequent and very loud protests to the contrary, had noticed the pensive mood that Jyuushirou had been in since the Academy’s emergency bells had rung out less than two days before, and had frequently tried to distract him as the night wore on. In all his years as a member of Ukitake’s Thirteenth Division, Shiba Kaien has never known the man to be so restless. So determined to not fall asleep as he continues to stare at the moon that slowly climbs through the night sky. </p><p>     He knows all about the girl that Ukitake refers to with such affection, and had even met her some years ago when he had visited the Captain’s home. The slightly younger Michiko had hitched her yukata high on her legs to chase a cat around the grounds, but when she had spotted him and Ukitake watching her from the balcony, she had easily scaled the side of the house to reach them. She had immediately taken to calling him Kaikai after stating that the ‘birdy character’ (‘<em> en </em>’ using the kanji for ‘swallow’) would be too hard for her to remember when she would write about meeting him in her diary.</p><p>     Hearing her name in the context of what had happened at the Academy had broken his heart, so he can only imagine how many pieces Jyuushirou’s heart must have shattered into. At one point, he had almost accepted the Lieutenant’s insignia in a final attempt to draw his Captain out of whatever rabbit hole he seemed to have stumbled into. At the stroke of midnight, Ukitake Jyuushirou finally straightened from where he had been leaning against the balcony railings, and with a final look in the direction of the Academy, he told Kaien it was rather silly for him to still be awake. </p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <strong>Midnight</strong>
</p><p>
  <em>The Execution Grounds</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Although they travel from different parts of Seireitei, they both arrive outside of the strange cave simultaneously, just as the bell towers conclude tolling for midnight.</p><p>     Shihouin Yoruichi appears before them dressed in her altered onmitsukidou shihakushou and a black face covering. “Were you followed?”</p><p>     “We may not be as sneaky as you but we do know how to lose a tail, Yoruichi-san.”</p><p>     “Captain Shihouin, what exactly is this about?” Jyuushirou asks.</p><p>     “Not out here. Follow me.” She adamantly refuses to answer either of the captains’ various questions as she leads them deeper into the extensive cave that Urahara Kisuke had dug out during their childhood. She hadn’t bothered to ask the man about bringing ‘outsiders’ into the cave before designating it as the meeting place for the group of nobles, but she wasn’t planning on him ever finding out about it. After climbing down a lengthy ladder, Shunsui and Jyuushirou meet the fourth and final member of the secret gathering. </p><p>     The former manages to keep his surprise contained and waves at the younger man.</p><p>     “Kuchiki Soujyun?!” Jyuushirou exclaimed.</p><p>     The Lieutenant smiles as he bows to the Captains. “Ukitake-sama, Kyouraku-sama, thank-you both for coming. I understand that Shihouin-sama was very cryptic when she asked for you to come to this place.”</p><p>     “What can I say? I have a flair for the dramatic that’s all too often left unsatisfied! Soujyun, we’re not here for idle chit-chat, so why don’t you fill them in?”</p><p>     The pale man nods and wrings his hands. “Captain Shihouin visited me following the incident at the Academy, and suggested that you two may be willing to assist me with a rather outlandish plan," he pauses to look between the two men. "I intend to have  young Fujimori Michiko fully exonerated and pardoned.”</p><p>     Shunsui exhales with a low whistle. “That most certainly is an outlandish plan! Kuchiki-san, as thrilled as I am to hear this, I do have to wonder why.”</p><p>     “I’m afraid that comes with a bit of a story, Kyouraku-sama. Many years ago, the Kuchiki family elders had agreed to an arranged marriage between Byakuya and the next daughter born to the Fujimori family. However, after four consecutive Fujimori girls died during infancy, the agreement was nullified.”</p><p>     “Then Mikko was born," Jyuushirou adds. "I believe I have heard at least some of this story; Fujimori Kaito would visit each of the noble houses multiple times a year with baby Michiko strapped to his back. He was desperate to sign her away, and that’s how I came to meet her.”</p><p>     “Forgive me for jumping towards a conclusion, but is this plan based solely on some signatures on a seemingly redundant piece of parchment?”</p><p>     “Not entirely. My father and I visited Byakuya after his involvement was confirmed to us. From the way he spoke of young Michiko, it was very apparent to me that he is in love with her. After his grandfather left, he told me he has loved her since the moment he first saw her. I wish nothing but happiness for my only son, and that is the basis for this plan.”</p><p>     “Even though she has been acquitted, a ridiculous law still exists that would prevent them from marrying should Mikko’s record remain tarnished. A full exoneration would be the only way for their marriage to be recognised.”</p><p>     “Can I assume Ginrei would be less than happy with this plan of yours, and this is why we’re meeting under the cover of darkness, and in a cave no one knows about?”</p><p>     “Precisely. I had planned on tackling this alone, but Captain Shihouin’s brief visit made me realise that I would never accomplish the feat alone.”</p><p>     “Mikko-chan’s own feelings for young Byakuya quickly became apparent to me, so I’m rather inclined to get on board with this plan.”</p><p>     “I’ve already offered to whisper in the ears of anyone who may oppose us — apart from Ginrei, of course. So that just leaves you, Ukitake.”</p><p>     Jyuushirou closes his eyes briefly before nodding. “I will agree on one condition. Until we know that we have succeeded, <em> if </em> we succeed, Mikko cannot know what we are doing. After everything she has endured, I fear she would not survive the heartbreak.”</p><p>     “I had already come to the same conclusion about Byakuya. It will be best to leave them out of this and let them focus on their studies. Even if we do succeed, it will only be after Byakuya inherits the title and heirlooms that they could be married.”</p><p>     Shunsui rubs his hands together. “So, where do we start?”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Soukyoku no oka - lit. 'Hill of Twinned Punishment'.<br/></p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. "To underestimate is to surrender!"</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>WARNING: Descriptions of blood and injury.</p><p>UPDATED 2021/01/30 : Above summary and warning ; fixed spacing.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Shin’ou Academy</strong>
</p><p>
  <em> The Next Morning </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Thoughts of her upcoming transfer to Instructor Satou’s zanjyuutsu class had made it impossible for Michiko to get any sleep. With the moon still high in the sky, she had opened her window and crept away from the building. Her initial thought had been to seek out Byakuya’s dormitory, but she had reminded herself of his words following that first kiss they had shared. For the first time, she realises that she doesn’t want to run; she wants to walk as slowly as possible, and enjoy every single moment of their relationship. The term ‘relationship’ is alien to Michiko, but when she thinks of it in the context of Byakuya, her heart sings.</p><p>
  <em> If you’ve finished pinin’ fer the boy, I’d like to teach ya summat. </em>
</p><p>     His sudden presence in her mind startles her so much that she bangs her head against the tree behind her. After sliding down to the ground, she turns her thoughts inwards to confront the white beast. “Byakko! Do you guys really hear everything I say and think?!”</p><p>
  <em> I go deaf fer most of it.  </em>
</p><p>     “That really does not make me feel any better,” she quips. “Seiryuu told me yesterday it was your strength that got me away from the house last year. How can I ever repay you for that?” </p><p>
  <em> Silly girl. There’s nowt to be repaid! Now, get yerself off the ground an’ draw my blade. Before the sun crests the horizon, there’s summat ya need ta learn.  </em>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Byakuya sits on the same wall as he had the previous morning, but today he is unable to sense her presence, or see any sign of her footprints in the dewy grass that she runs through each morning. The slight breeze carries the aromas of the kitchens as it blows past, triggering a memory of yesterday’s tense atmosphere in the cafeteria that Michiko either didn’t notice, or simply didn’t care about. As he absently wonders if this morning’s breakfast will be any different, a sudden large gust of wind sweeps past and almost takes his hair tie. The moment he lifts his arms to refasten his hair in place, he is tackled to the ground from behind. </p><p>     He somehow lands on his back, and before he can react she presses her lips to his. He realises that she must be on top of him when her long purple locks cascade around his head, and the bottom of her thick fringe tickles his eyelids. Her lips are soft and slightly sticky as she breaks contact and looks down at him. “Good morning, <strong> <em>koibito</em> </strong>.”</p><p>     “Where did you come from?”</p><p>     She gives him a quizzical look. “From behind you, silly!”</p><p>     “As good as it is to see you, Michiko, if I go to class with grass stains…”</p><p>     Michiko sighs dramatically as she rolls to one side and sits next to him.</p><p>     “You did not really answer my question,” he says, also sitting up.</p><p>     “Did too! I said I came from behind you.”</p><p>     “That does not explain how you were able to sneak up on me, though.”</p><p>     “If you were too busy daydreaming to notice, then I do not think that it can be my fault,” she says, plucking a blade of grass from his hair.</p><p>     “Even if I was ‘daydreaming’, I should have at least felt your presence. There is also the matter of that rather strong and convenient gust of wind.”</p><p>     Michiko takes a moment to consider her reply. “Like a tiger in the deepest shadows, like a dragon with silent wings.”</p><p>     “The spirits of your zanpakutou?”</p><p>     “Mhm, they have been teaching me their abilities. Before the sunrise this morning, Byakko taught me how to disguise my presence. When I noticed you sitting out here again, I could not pass on the opportunity to test the technique.”</p><p>     “And the wind?”</p><p>     “Seiryuu. I have been teaching myself how to modify kidou ever since Natsume-sensei first mentioned it, but with Seiryuu’s help I can now move beyond modifying, and create my own kidou techniques. I named that gust of wind <strong> <em>kochikaze</em> </strong>.”</p><p>     “Natsume-sensei only spoke of kidou modification in passing, and as something that can be achieved after many centuries of dedication!”</p><p>     “I know. Byakuya-kun, you cannot mention these things I have just told you to anyone. Absolutely no one can know that Seiryuu and Byakko can already not only speak with me, but also teach me their techniques. I hate to ask such a thing of you, but can you please keep my secret?”</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Earlier in the day, she had received a note from Instructor Satou simply requesting that she arrive before the older students that made up the rest of the class. After thinking back to the conversation she’d had with Headmaster Endou the previous day, she wonders if Sensei Satou would simply ask her to hide away in a corner while the rest of the class blindfolded themselves. With just over ten minutes until the class would start, she makes her way to the doors of the doujyou referred to as <strong> <em>iki jigoku</em> </strong>.</p><p>     “You must be Fujimori! Close the doors behind you. I’ve heard tales of your ‘legendary’ victory over Hasegawa yesterday, and I can certainly see why he was idiotic enough to underestimate you. Even for a first-year student, you are rather small. Are you familiar with the mantra I teach my students under?”</p><p>     “I believe so. To underestimate is to surrender.”</p><p>     “Exactly right. I suppose we’ll discover soon enough if any of these other students of mine have absorbed that as well as you have. Now then, I’ll be telling them all to put blindfolds on, but if they see you it would be a wasted effort. This alcove is rather shadowed, but you will still see and hear everything. Once I confirm that they’ve all blindfolded themselves properly, I will signal for you to come out. You will stand in the middle of the arena, and I will call out the name of a student to move in and face you. If that goes in your favour, I will then call two students at a time. That will continue until either you or the other students surrender. Do try not to kill any of them though, hm?”</p><p>     “Yes, Satou-sensei.”</p><p>     As the bell signals the start of the next period, Instructor Satou opens the doujyou doors for the class of fifth and sixth year students. From her position in the shadowed alcove, she can indeed hear and see everything that happens as the students file into the arena. Her stomach flips when she sees a complete lack of female students among the class, but she is not afraid.</p><p>     “Stand up straight, gentlemen. Today you will once again don blindfolds and face off against your classmates; let’s see how much you’ve improved since the start of the semester.”</p><p>     “To underestimate is to surrender!” The class responds in unison. </p><p>     Once Instructor Satou is satisfied with how the students have all blinded themselves, he signals for Michiko to emerge. With her blades already drawn, she moves as quickly and quietly as a hunting tiger to reach the center of the arena, and assumes one of the stances that Shunsui had shown her during their first lesson together. </p><p>     At the call of his name, her first opponent steps up and the duel begins after they touch their blades together. The student is almost twice as tall as Michiko, and wears an ugly smirk on his face as he makes the first strike. All he strikes is the empty air above her head before she places the tip of her crimson-hilted zanpakutou to his throat. She had not taken a single step. The next student, who looks muscular enough to launch her clear over the tower of penitence, also has to withdraw after a single failed strike. She has still not taken a single step, or even shifted her feet when the first round is brought to a close. </p><p>     The second round begins with two students flanking her before almost simultaneously charging towards the middle of the arena. All Michiko has to do is twist her torso, and the tips of her zanpakutou press against their necks. </p><p>     Instead of calling the next two names, Satou has a change of heart. “Pause! Mass brawl; last man standing. Commence!”</p><p>     The students chant the mantra once more in unison as they charge forth brandishing their blades above their heads. Michiko grins as Ryuuko reminds her that Instructor Satou had only asked that she avoid killing them. She hadn’t necessarily been holding back before, but she drops the last of her caution as she strikes at her first opponent with a deep slash to his torso. He comes at her over and over again until his kosode is thoroughly soaked in his own blood. </p><p>     Of the original sixteen students, there are quickly only six that remain standing around her. They all sport various injuries, and Michiko is quickly able to determine their weak points as they all move towards her once more. </p><p>     The one with giant-sized muscles falls to a slash across his achilles tendons. The second, third, and fourth students all collapse after they over judge their sword swings, and expose their backs to her blades. On the opposite side of the arena, the two remaining combatants are locked in a fierce exchange of blocks and blows. Instructor Satou silently draws her attention and asks her to wait, but she doesn’t have to wait long before one of the men falls to his knees. Her final opponent looks ready to declare himself as the victor.</p><p>     “It is not yet over. One student remains standing against you. To underestimate is to surrender, but to declare victory in haste is to tie your own noose.”</p><p>     She wants to wipe the smug look from his face as he strides confidently across the arena towards her, and raises his blade to initiate the final showdown. It is clear to both Instructor Satou and Michiko that this student still considers himself to be the victor as he leaves himself completely open to his unseen opponent. </p><p>     Instead of moving straight in to strike him and bring the mass brawl to an end, she silently moves around him. She purposefully stops short of striking him to make him react. She feels a feral excitement take over her as she toys with the smug student in the same way as her tiger might toy with his prey. The metaphorical noose around his neck tightens as Michiko allows for her blades to briefly drag along the floor. He whirls in the direction of the sound, and immediately brings his blade down with both hands wrapped around the hilt.</p><p>     It is exactly what Michiko wants. As soon as he realises that he has missed his target, but before he can bring his blade back up for another strike, she deftly jumps onto his forearms, dragging Byakko’s blade down his back as she flips through the air. He stands up on shaking legs and starts swinging his sword wildly around him. The smug smile finally leaves his face when Michiko uses both of her blades to block a strike that wouldn’t have reached her. </p><p>     She uses the downward force from that strike against him, as he leans to put more of his body weight against her blades. She waits until he lifts his heel, before shifting her weight slightly, and causing him to lose his balance. As soon as he tries to correct his footing, she slides Byakko’s zanpakutou down the underside of his <strong> <em>asauchi</em> </strong> and straight into his abdomen. His strength fades as she withdraws her bloodied blade from his stomach and pushes him aside.</p><p>     “Gentlemen, remove your blindfolds and look upon the victor.”</p><p>     The immediate reaction is shocked disbelief as they see the short girl standing calmly in the centre of the arena. They all know her name, and for a long moment they simply stare at her and the blood slowly dripping from her blades.</p><p>     Satou sighs and walks to stand next to Michiko. “How very disappointing. You all repeat the mantra, but it seems none of you truly understand the wisdom in those simple words! To underestimate is to surrender! Even when blindfolded, you all assumed that you were only fighting against each other as you have been doing since the start of this semester. This girl is a first-year, and yet she already has more talent and skill than all of you combined! If any of you had hoped to join the Gotei…forget it. Forget your aspirations of achieving greatness, and of standing amongst the thirteen Captains. Forget any guarantee you thought you had from your family names! Don’t think to say this girl had an unfair advantage from not also being blindfolded. Do not kid yourselves into thinking you ever stood a chance! Do not look upon her with anything other than the respect and fear that she has earned here today. Empty your thick skulls of the stories you have heard, and everything you thought you knew about her! Finally, do not think to return here until you truly understand the mantra you echo. To the infirmary — all of you!”</p><p>     Just as she had done yesterday in Sensei Hasegawa’s doujyou, Michiko does not move from her place inside the arena. None of the students dare to even breath as they walk and limp past her. The only sounds are grunts of pain until the doors swing close once again.</p><p>     “I must admit that I was rather hoping at least one of those boys would present something of a challenge for you, young Fujimori. Unfortunately, short of sending you to the Gotei’s bloodthirsty Eleventh Division, this class is about as challenging as it gets!”</p><p>     “If I may, Satou-sensei. I would like to thank you for allowing me to demonstrate my capabilities in such a unique way.”</p><p>     “It is quite remarkable that even after accomplishing a feat such as this you do not smile, boast or brag. Why is that, exactly?”</p><p>     “If I were to speak of my victory, it would only show my insecurity; a need for others to validate and accept me. I do not need the acceptance and validation of any of these students who took such great pleasure in tormenting me until just a few days ago. I do not need nor want anything from them at all.”</p><p>     “You do not want their respect? Do you not want to be feared?”</p><p>     “I do not care for it. If they fear me, it is because I am the reason two students are dead. Any respect I get from now on will be superficial, because who could ever truly respect a murderer? Why should others respect me when I do not respect myself?”</p><p>     “Others have done far worse and still gained deep respect from those around them; take the Kenpachi’s as an example. The first Kenpachi was nothing more than a murderous villain when the Gotei was first formed. Every Kenpachi that follows is just as vicious and bloodthirsty as the first, and they all kill for fun. That is what it means to be a murderer, and you absolutely do not belong among them. Mark my words, Fujimori. By the time you graduate and join Seireitei’s military, these students who ridiculed and tormented you will bow before you.”</p><p>     “I appreciate your kind words, Satou-sensei.”</p><p>     “Arrive ahead of your new classmates next time as well, for I do believe I have a plan to make them truly understand the mantra.”</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Koibito - 'Lover; Sweetheart; Boyfriend'.<br/>Kochikaze - 'Eastern Wind'.<br/>Iki jigoku - 'Living Hell'.<br/>Asauchi - 'Shallow Hit'.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Chapter 12</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which Shunsui learns of a surprise friend of Michiko during a picnic.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Wow it's been a while! I took a bit of a hiatus from this story whilst I considered how (and if) to continue it, but I think I'm happy with my decision.<br/>This chapter's rather heavy on the dialogue, but I'm hopeful I've presented it in a way that's easy to follow. As always, remember to check the End Notes for explanations of the japanese words/phrases I included.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Seireitei</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Among the many buildings and structures within Seireitei, none are as heavily guarded and protected as the Compound for the parliament known as Central Forty-Six. Access to the compound for outsiders is heavily restricted, but the underground structures also held the ‘memory bank’ of Seireitei — the </span>
  <b>
    <em>Daireishokairou</em>
  </b>
  <span>. The Great Spirit Book Gallery holds every single parchment, scroll, and book to have ever been written in Seireitei. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Somewhere in the gargantuan labyrinth of dusty knowledge, Ukitake Jyuushirou sits alone, for even though he had agreed to work with the two Captains and one Lieutenant on their mission to have Michiko exonerated, he was reluctant to accept any help with this particular task. The dust burns his lungs, but he carries on regardless. Because no matter how much he will suffer over the next days or even months, it will all be worthwhile. Even though he had been hesitant to acknowledge and accept the relationship that had bloomed from nowhere between the two young students, he knows he will happily work to the point of his death to give Michiko even the smallest amount of hope and happiness.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>To have Michiko exonerated, and her record returned to its rightfully untarnished state, they would first have to petition, and then potentially stand before the forty-six. In his readings so far, Jyuushirou had also discovered that young Michiko’s chances of ever rising beyond the rank of Third Seat would also be significantly hampered by the solitary blood stain on her file. As heartbreaking as this had felt, he convinces himself that it might just be a blessing in disguise.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shunsui sighs as he finds Jyuushirou sitting in a pile of books,“Ukitake, please don’t tell me you’ve been here all night!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His eyes are bloodshot when he looks up. “Is it morning out there? Listen, Kyouraku—”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No! No, c’mon. Outside, fresh air, maybe some tea?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Just as he had done a few days previously, Shunsui has to drag a very reluctant Jyuushirou away from the duty that he had first given to himself over ten years previously: protecting Michiko.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With cups of their favourite green teas now in front of them on a low table at a local teahouse, Jyuushirou retrieves a bundle of parchments from his haori. “I honestly hadn’t planned on staying down there for so long, but you know how reluctant they are to let anyone in there in the first place!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Indeed. Did you find anything helpful at least?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Maybe. Did you know that this acquittal could also prevent Mikko from rising higher than a Third Seat Officer? Unless she were to win a trial-by-combat to become a Captain, she may never even reach Lieutenant.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yet she’s remarkably already skilled enough to topple Hasegawa! As noble as his reason might have been to seek this appeal in the first place, perhaps it’ll go more easily in our favour if we base it on this instead.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“My thoughts exactly. It’ll be much easier to prove as well.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Right, we can request statements from Hasegawa-san, and perhaps Satou-sensei…and the fact that Mikko-chan has already been transferred into his doujyou is also substantial evidence to her capabilities. We may just win this thing yet, Ukitake!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He smiles for the first time since learning of the Academy murders, genuinely amused by Shunsui's positivity. “I truly hope so. If we can get a message to our friends, we could even submit the initial petition tomorrow morning.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The petition request forms were lengthy and rather dull, but the two captains powered through them before Shunsui would have to depart for the Academy later that evening. Some hours later, and following a lengthy discussion on the use of a hell butterfly, they had decided on a slightly less conventional method of summoning the Second Division Captain.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shihouin Yoruichi appears in her strange feline form on the opposite side of the large picnic blanket laden with food dishes and saucers of milk, cream, and water that the two male Captains had prepared for the meeting. She sniffs at the spread curiously before eyeing the men with her golden eyes narrowed.</span>
</p>
<p><span>“A </span><b><em>jigokuchou</em></b> <span>would’ve got me here just as speedily as this spread of fish and milk, boys, but I’ll never turn down a free meal. You can fill me in while I fill my stomach!”</span></p>
<p>
  <span>“It doesn’t happen often, but Hell Butterflies can be intercepted! Regardless, Ukitake descended into the dusty caverns of the Archive and came across something rather interesting.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jyuushirou inclines his head towards Shunsui in gratitude before explaining more about what he had found. “An interesting discovery indeed. It seems that Mikko may never reach the rank of Lieutenant if her record were to remain tarnished; there’s apparently some kind of precedent that would prevent her from rising above the position of a Third Seated Officer. It’s been a while since you last visited her, but you must have realised how capable she is.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Woah woah, hold on here just a sec. Yoruichi-san’s met Mikko-chan?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <b>
    <em>Bakamono</em>
  </b>
  <span>! Why else did you think I’d be getting involved?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Honestly, I thought it might’ve just been the curiosity of the cat. Or perhaps something to do with a certain noble Captain?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Perhaps it was my feline curiosity that led me to first visit little Michiko, but it was the girl’s spirit that kept me going back until recently.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“After the fire, we decided it would be best to reduce the number of significant reiatsu signatures Mikko came in contact with,” Jyuushirou explained.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But I’ve never heard Mikko-chan ask after you, Yoruichi-san,”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s ‘cos she only knows me in this form. She doesn’t even know I can talk when I look like this. To little Michiko, I was simply ‘</span>
  <b>
    <em>nyanko</em>
  </b>
  <span>’. A cat she loved to chase around Ukitake’s gardens. It’ll be interesting to see her reaction to the truth once she graduates!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’ll really wait that long?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I can’t risk interacting with her now that I’ve gotten myself involved in this petition, but even so, it won’t be too long before she’s accelerated out of Shin’ou.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But early graduations are still pretty rare! The last one was young Shiba-kun, right?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jyuushirou nods around his cup of green tea in response.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, I’ve heard a lot of rumours from inside the Academy suggesting little Michiko will be the next ‘genius’. In fact, I’ve even heard something that you may not believe possible,” she teased before sinking her teeth into another piece of fish.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, if the last few days have taught us anything at all, it’s that anything may indeed be possible. Especially when it comes to the little owl.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hmph. Well, it seems that our dear Commander thinks just as highly as you do about our girl Michiko. He even admitted to Choujirou that she may one day be his successor.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shunsui and Jyuushirou exchange shocked looks before lapsing into silence to imagine the future that their Commander and teacher had admitted to envisioning. Shunsui chuckles lightly to himself at the thought of little Michiko wearing Yamamoto’s haori without any adjustments, meaning that it would trail behind her as she walked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jyuushirou clears his throat to bring everyone’s attention back to the present. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“With all of that in mind, Kyouraku and I believe that our best chances of success would come from appealing to the Forty-Six based on her strengths and abilities. If possible, I think it would be for the best if they do not catch wind of our fourth friend’s initial reasoning.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After cleaning the last of the fish bones and polishing the final saucer of its contents, Yoruichi stretches and walks across the blanket to stand in front of Jyuushirou and Shunsui. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <b>
    <em>Gochisou</em>
  </b>
  <span>,” she began with a mock bow. “I’ll relay the new information to our ‘fourth friend’, and if you’ve already prepared the petition documents, I can get his signatures on them and even sneak it to the top of the cleric’s document stack during the night.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shunsui nods and pulls out the bundle of parchments from inside a fold of the blanket, a length of string tied around the middle to keep them together would also come in handy should Yoruichi maintain her cat form.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thank-you, Captain Shihouin. Please be careful.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t worry about me, boys. The ‘Goddess of Flash’ doesn’t lose!”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Daireishokairou - As transliterated in the text, this is basically Seireitei's library.<br/>Jigokuchou - Lit. 'Hell Butterfly'.<br/>Bakamono - 'Stupid person!'<br/>Nyanko - kid speak meaning 'kitty'/'kitty cat'.<br/>Gochisou - shortened form of 'gochisousamadeshita' with the meaning 'thanks for the meal'.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Chapter 13</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>From this chapter onwards, there will be a lot of time-skipping as we cover some more of the major events that occur before Michiko's departure from Seireitei.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>One month later.</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>When she had been asked to attend the Central Forty-Six Chambers just weeks after she had put the petition documents on the top of the pile labeled ‘urgent’, she thought she had been found out. It would not only be disastrous for her reputation, it would also shatter any hope of ever exonerating the young girl.</p><p>The sound of a gavel draws her attention to the center row of faceless voices.</p><p>“Shihouin Yoruichi. Twenty-second Head of the noble Shihouin Clan, Captain of the Gotei’s Second Division, and Commander-in-Chief for the Onmitsukidou. The Council of Forty-Six has summoned you today to request the assistance of you and the aforementioned Onmitsukidou. Will you accept this duty, and thus swear to remain impartial on the matter until such time that we make our final verdict for the case in hand?”</p><p>She rolls her eyes at the incessant and needless formalities of the chamber, quickly composing herself to follow her part of the script. “I, Shihouin Yoruichi, Current Head of the noble Shihouin Clan, Captain of the Gotei’s Second Division and Commander-in-chief for the Onmitsukidou, hereby accept the request presented by the Council of Forty-Six. Thusly, I swear to remain impartial on all matters involving and relating to the matter until such time as a final verdict has been reached.”</p><p>“Very well. The Council this day would ask that the Onmitsukidou launch an in-depth investigation into the Shin’ou Academy student named Fujimori Michiko. Are you familiar with this individual, Commander-in-Chief Shihouin Yoruichi?”</p><p>“Of course; I was present at the Captain-Commander’s meeting that detailed exactly what had happened at the Shin’ou Academy, and her name was referenced.”</p><p>“I would ask Shihouin Yoruichi to further clarify her response - prior to the tragedy at the Academy, did you have any knowledge of the individual in question?” The question came from a woman in the upper right side of the tiered chamber.</p><p>It was a difficult situation she was now faced with. To admit knowing the girl could see the case thrown out, but lying to the council and being caught in the lie later on could be infinitely worse.</p><p>Thankfully, she had prepared for a question just like this. “As the Council in its infinite wisdom is surely aware, it has been almost one year to the day when the noble house of Fujimori was slaughtered. Needless to say that the name of the sole survivor reached me.”</p><p>The original speaker of the meeting clears his throat. “Unless any further Council members have any questions in regards to Shihouin Yoruichi’s knowledge of this individual, I hereby move to proceed with the details of the case.” When no objections or further questions present themselves, he continues. “This investigation will be launched in reference to a petition for exoneration. The crime in question is the double murder at Shin’ou Academy, of which the individual in question has previously been acquitted by Captain Commander Yamamoto ‘Genryuusai’ Shigekuni. </p><p>“The council would ask that the Onmitsukidou substantiate the claim made in the petition that reads as follows: ‘Seireitei’s military forces would be deprived of a truly exceptional talent should the previously granted acquittal remain on this individual’s records’. In line with a precedent set many decades ago, those found guilty of murder may never advance beyond the rank of Third Seat in any section of our military force; regardless of the details, and regardless of any acquittals, they would never stand at the helm of any Division unless they chose to follow the path of Kenpachi. In order to make a conclusive ruling on this petition, the Council will require substantial and thorough evidence which will either confirm or deny the ‘truly exceptional talent’ of the individual in question. Shihouin Yoruichi, do you understand the request of this Council?”</p><p>“I do.”</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Her heart pounded against her chest until she was clear of the Compound carrying some of the documents she had snuck in there so recently. </p><p>She had been so sure that someone had somehow seen her, or recognised her signature on the petition, and her summoning had been to her trial, sentencing and execution—probably not an actual execution, just one that would have severed her of all her ties to Seireitei.</p><p>She goes straight to the cave under the execution grounds to work off some of the stress from standing in that Chamber, and perhaps have a soak in the onsen that Kisuke had somehow installed down there.</p><p>The man in question appears from behind a large boulder as soon as she moves away from the ladder, already shedding her haori and moving for the bubbling heat of the onsen. </p><p>“Yoruichi-san! What’re you doing down here so early in the day? Wait, it is still daylight up there, right?”</p><p>“Kisuke! Didn’t I just send you out on a mission last night?”</p><p>“Ohh, deflecting a question with another question! Typical technique to shift attention away from a lie or a secret. Of course I would never do such a thing, but has anyone else been down here recently?”</p><p>She was in no mood for his games. “This is going nowhere fast. As your Commanding Officer I demand that you answer my original question.”</p><p>“I finished it! I left word of the good news with young Soi Fon-san as soon as I got back from the Nest, but I get the strangest feeling that she doesn’t like me very much.”</p><p>“I wonder why,” she muttered under her breath.</p><p>“As one of your nearest and dearest, would you please enlighten me by answering my question, Yoruichi-san?”</p><p>“Screw you, Kisuke! If you must know, I was summoned to appear in front of the Forty-Six this morning. I came down here hoping to blow off some steam, so that I wouldn’t end up biting the head off of whoever I first saw!”</p><p>“New orders? I find that I have a very clear schedule all of a sudden.”</p><p>“Nope. This one’s going to Soi Fon.”</p><p>“An assassination? Perhaps I could assist.”</p><p>“It’s not an assination, and you cannot assist! This is a delicate situation, and I find that I can manipulate her way better than I could ever control you. Besides, you’re gonna be far too busy with the new orders I’ve got for you.”</p><p>“Great! I was getting rather bored of that whole ‘no dating your superiors’ rule—”</p><p>She interrupts him with a powerful punch to his groin, and he collapses onto his knees.</p><p>Once she is satisfied that he will think twice before saying anything else, she folds her arms across her chest and speaks down at him, “Officer Urahara Kisuke, your new orders are as follows. From this moment until a moment of my choosing at some point in the far future, you will stay away from Soi Fon. You will not attempt to insert yourself into her missions, nor will you use any of your creepy inventions to spy on her, or otherwise coerce information from her. If you think she hates you now, just wait to see what’ll happen if she finds you meddling!”</p><p>“<em> Ryoukai </em>! I believe I have some paperwork to do, so I’m gonna make a hasty exit before I become your punching bag…again.”</p><p>***</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. The Game</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Michiko's keen to show Byakuya something...</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I wasn't sure if I was gonna post this chapter or not, but I thought to myself, 'why the heck not?'. So here it is!<br/>(Anyone who has read RTSMS (Part One) may recognise 'the game'.)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Michiko’s grin was starting to make her face ache, but she didn't mind. After several weeks of nightly zanjyuutsu lessons with Shunsui, she had finally convinced him she was ready to learn shunpo, and she took to it like a fish to water.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Walking felt entirely redundant now, but Shunsui had cautioned her to pace herself and to also remember that many of her classmates had not yet begun learning it, let alone mastering it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She had made him a promise that she wouldn’t show it to anyone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Except for Byakuya.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The night sky is inky black and filled with stars as she walks around the outside of the dormitory buildings, sticking to the shadows as Byakko had taught her to do, and reaching out with Seiryuu’s ability to track different reiatsu signatures. She had been told by Jyuushirou and Shunsui that her own reiatsu was a deeply vibrant purple, and Seiryuu had later confirmed that it was a combination of her deep blue presence and Byakko’s crimson red reiatsu.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Byakuya’s reiatsu is as resplendent and white as the stars twinkling across the sky, glowing brighter than all the other signatures within the boy’s dormitory building as she focuses on it. Her smile stretches even further as she realises he was still awake.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She leans against the wall next to his window and briefly turns her attention inwards to the spirits of her zanpakutou. Seiryuu was already asleep, retreating to her ‘cave’ inside Michiko’s soul as soon as her lesson with Shunsui had concluded, but Byakko was still awake and pacing across her consciousness.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Time for you to take a nap, Byakko-kun,” she said, imagining she was standing alongside the beast.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Since the two spirits had first materialised all those weeks ago, Michiko has been slowly learning about their varying habits and attitudes, as well as their abilities. One rather frustrating ability they both seemed to have was access to her conscious mind. Her thoughts and feelings, as well as everything she experienced day to day was also experienced by them if they were awake. That was another thing she had learned relatively early on - Byakko was nocturnal, whilst Seiryuu preferred the daylight. In a way, it was rather comforting to know that at least one of them was always looking over her. That was, of course, until she wanted to </span>
  <em>
    <span>truly</span>
  </em>
  <span> be alone with Byakuya.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He makes a show of slowly stretching his limbs and flexing his vicious claws before circling the version of herself that existed in this space, rubbing against her legs in the same way a smaller and domesticated feline might.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“These late nights ya keep ain’t good fer any of us, Mikko.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I will be in a bed soon enough, my dear white beast, but it remains to be seen if it will be my own bed. Good night.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once more outside of her consciousness, Michiko does a final sweep of the nearby reiatsu signatures before positioning herself below his window. It was a balmy summer season so far, and even this late in the evening the air is thick with heat. Finding his window to be opened slightly, therefore, is no surprise. The thin mesh curtain flutters lightly as the lazy evening breeze wafts past.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sounds of exertion reach her ears as she lifts herself onto the balls of her feet to peek through the window and her heart leaps into her throat, wondering if tonight might be the night, but then she hears the unmistakable sound of his </span>
  <b>
    <em>asauchi</em>
  </b>
  <span> slicing through the empty air.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She pouts briefly in disappointment before wordlessly summoning a small ball of swirling winds into the palm of her hand, sending it forward in small bursts to lift the curtain away from his window so she can catch a glimpse of him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He stands a few paces away from the window, facing into his room and angled towards the corner next to his door. Michiko has a wonderful view of his bare back, glistening with sweat in the light of the lantern next to his bed, and sees the developing muscles move under his skin as he continues practicing his combat maneuvers. She could happily watch him like this for hours, but then she remembers why she had come here this evening.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Retrieving a scrap of parchment, a brush and pot of ink from her satchel, she places the parchment on his windowsill and hastily writes a note. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Ready for a partner yet?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>She purposefully kept her word choices vague, and once she is satisfied, she once again summons </span>
  <b>
    <em>kochikaze</em>
  </b>
  <span> into her hand, this time using it to send the piece of parchment floating into his room. She watches it land on the floor near his feet and waits for him to notice it before using her new shunpo ability to dart away to the nearby trees.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>From her new vantage point, she watches with a sense of giddy glee as Byakuya looks out of his window for her. She sees his lips form the syllables of her name as he leans out further, his hands gripping the windowsill she had been standing at so recently, and his bare chest pressed against the window frame. As soon as his eyes wander towards the trees, she grins and steps away from the tree she was leaning against, lingering in his line of sight until she feels his eyes on her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When she’s sure he’s looking at her, she vanishes into shunpo and reappears once more beneath his window, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and pressing her face against his neck before he can react. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She presses kisses into his pulse point, deeply breathing in the sweet and musty scent of the sweat coating his skin, and feeling his Adam's apple move as he swallows.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Michiko, was that shunpo?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She reluctantly pulls back from his neck and looks at him with a playfully raised eyebrow, “Can Byakuya come out to play?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s past curfew.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Meaning no pesky hall monitors checking up on us,” she whispered into his ear.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can I at least put my kosode back on?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you have to?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He can only nod as she continues to tease his neck and earlobe with her mouth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When she relinquishes her hold around his neck, Byakuya places a quick kiss to her forehead before moving away from his window once more to find the top half of his uniform.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Michiko watches eagerly, desperate for a glance of his abdomen and the muscles that were surely developing across it, but he keeps his back to her until he is fully dressed once more. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But when he climbs out of his window just moments later, Michiko is gone, and in her place is another scrap of parchment, tucked loosely into a cracked stone in the wall so that it flutters in the light evening breeze.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Will you call me ‘sensei’ if I teach you?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Teach me shunpo?” he asked out loud, not sure if he was talking only to himself or not.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There are many things I can teach you,” came her voice from behind him, “but we can start with shunpo.” He feels her hand wrap around his, and the scenery changes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gone is the long wall of windows from the back of the dormitory wing. Instead, he finds himself standing next to a lower wall, the same wall he would sit on each morning to see her before breakfast. But on the past two mornings, she had never appeared. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Michiko tugs on his hand, pulling him to stand in front of her where she leans casually against the stone bricks. The mischievous glint in her eyes is intoxicating as he further closes the space between their bodies and cups her face with his free hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I missed you,” he whispered in a voice thick with lust.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t tell me. Show me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And he does. He leans into her, waiting for her eyes to fully close before he presses his mouth against hers, feeling the familiar tingle of warmth spreading through his body when she moves her hand to the back of his neck and pulls him even closer, her fingers creeping up into his hair. He’s used to her hands wondering over him, but usually in the other direction, to tease him and try to persuade him to take things further, so when that doesn’t happen this time, he almost stops to ask her why.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The force behind her kissing lessens and slows until it ends completely, and her head falls back against the top of the wall. Her eyes roam over his flushed face greedily for a while before she finally speaks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I missed you too. And as much as I would love to stand here kissing you all night long, I did offer to teach you something else.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“When did you even learn shunpo, Michiko?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“During my lesson with Shuu-kun this evening.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It should be impossible.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I feel like you have said that before. So, will you call me sensei?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>~*~</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Over the next hour, Michiko teaches him the same basic maneuvers and techniques that Shunsui had taught her just a few hours previously. Apparently, Byakuya already knew the theory of shunpo from books in his family’s library, but he had never tried it for himself. So all he needed was a little nudge, like a mother bird teaching her chick to fly by pushing it from the edge of the nest, and soon enough he was zipping around alongside her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They stop occasionally to lean against a wall or a building and share a kiss, with Byakuya panting and out of breath, and Michiko seemingly unaffected by the exertion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When the moon signals the approach of midnight, Michiko concludes their impromptu lesson and they walk back towards his window with their fingers intertwined.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You should check your kosode,” she remarked offhandedly as they grew ever nearer to the end of their encounter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My kosode?” He untangles his fingers from hers and pats down the front of his uniform, feeling the distinct crinkle of parchment pressed into the space between the collar of his kosode and the shitagi underneath. “When did you…” his voice trails off as he sees the smirk plastered to her face, and he unfolds the note to read it in the glow of the moon.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>My favourite student. Let the game begin.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your homework for this lesson is to slip a piece of parchment into my possession without me noticing. There is no deadline.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Kochikaze - meaning 'east wind' or 'spring wind', this is a simple little kidou that Michiko developed for herself with the help of her dragon (Seiryuu) that summons a ball of wind.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Graduation</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Time skip to just two years after Michiko first started at the academy.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Lots of romanji in this chapter, so remember to look in the end notes for translations and descriptions! As always, romanji is presented in bold italics.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Just two years after joining the Academy, Fujimori Michiko now stands amongst the graduating class on a large dais that had been constructed the day before the ceremony began. Her student uniform has been replaced by a deep blue kimono patterned with vertical waves and vibrant peony flowers, her hair pulled back into a simple bun and adorned with the same hairpiece of wisteria blossoms and camellia flowers she had been wearing the day she met Jyuushirou. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She had been told that it was rather common for Seireitei to send representatives to the Academy on days such as these, but she had still been surprised to see so many shihakushou amongst the crowd of onlookers. The nervous flutters in her chest only settled when she saw the familiar faces of Shunsui and Jyuushirou, the latter of which had a cat sitting on his shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The names of the graduating students and their key achievements are called out one by one to varying amounts of applause until Headmaster Endou Takehiko finally reaches the last name on his scroll.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ladies and gentlemen, it is with great pride that I announce the name of our final graduate this year. Fujimori Michiko joined us here at the Academy just two years ago and quickly proved herself to be a truly remarkable student. Her achievements are many, and it perhaps goes without saying that I have been approached by many interested parties from Seireitei. She now leaves us to join the ranks of the Gotei, having secured her place as the Fifth Seat Officer for Captain Kyouraku’s Eighth Division. Congratulations, Fujimori-san.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The spattering of polite applause and less than polite whispering is drowned out by a loud whooping and whistling from near one of the banquet tables at the back of the ceremony area.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~*~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Following the last of the formalities of the ceremony, Michiko can finally track down the man who was now set to be her Captain.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shunsui spots her first and calls her over with a huge grin on his face, “Over here, Mikko-chan!” He knelt on the grass as he spoke, ready to scoop her into an embrace.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shuu-kun, why didn’t you tell me I was coming to your Division?!” she exclaimed as she flung her arms around his neck.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wanted to see your reaction, and I wasn’t disappointed! This is my Lieutenant.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yadoumaru Lisa. I’ve heard much about you, Fujimori-chan.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Michiko hastily performs a deep bow in front of the second shinigami, who was wearing one of the strangest shihakushou she had ever seen, an embarrassed heat creeping into her face from failing to notice her before throwing herself into Shunsui’s arms. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <b>
    <em>Yoroshikuoneigaishimasu</em>
  </b>
  <em>
    <span>,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Lieutenant Yadoumaru-sama.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’ll be the first and last time you’ll refer to me in such a way; it makes me feel far too old and I am nowhere near ready for that. Try again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh c’mon, Lisa-chan~. Little Mikko-chan’s just trying to make a good first impression!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Would Yadoumaru-san perhaps be acceptable, then?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eh, it’ll do for now.”</span>
</p><p><span>“Where’s Jyuushi-nii? I thought I saw him with the little </span><b><em>nyanko</em></b> <span>on his shoulder…”</span></p><p><span>“Oh I’m sure they’re around somewhere. Here, I got some </span><b><em>goshikitou</em></b> <b><em>higashi</em></b> <span>made special for ya!”</span></p><p>
  <span>With her eyes wide with anticipation, Michiko opens the rectangular wooden box that Shunsui was holding out for her. A variety of different coloured and shaped sugar candies lie inside the box, separated from one another by a thin layer of decorative wrapping. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“These are far too pretty to eat! Do you really expect me to eat any of them? Especially the little dragon and tiger ones!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Admire them, eat them, share them with a friend, I don’t mind!” Shunsui pinches a pale pink coloured sweet pressed into the shape of a cherry blossom and pops it into his mouth with a cheeky grin aimed at the young girl.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Michiko makes an overly exaggerated eye roll at him before turning to his lieutenant. “Yadoumaru-san, would you like one too?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure thing kiddo. Hey look, there’s even dragonfly ones in here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you like dragonflies?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not especially, but my zanpakutou’s called </span>
  <b>
    <em>haguro tonbo</em>
  </b>
  <span>,” she explained before taking a bite from the pale orange hard candy. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A hand gesture from around the corner of a nearby building goes unnoticed by the two women as they continue talking about Lisa’s zanpakutou and shihakushou.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shunsui nods his head discreetly before finally rising from his kneeling position next to the two women, groaning loudly when his bones creak and pop. He slings an arm around Michiko’s shoulder and offers an apologetic smile to his lieutenant. “You’ll have to excuse us for a few minutes, Lisa-chan. Go easy on the sake!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Michiko closes the lid of the lacquered candy box and hugs it to her chest as Shunsui guides her to where the hand signal had come from. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She glances up at him with her eyebrows crinkled together in confusion. “Shuu-kun, where are we going?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’ll see soon enough!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her confused pout transforms quickly into a wide grin of joy and delight as she spots Jyuushirou leaning against the side of the building, along with the black cat from her childhood perched on his shoulder. Similarly to what Shunsui had done previously, he also kneels down to hug the young graduate.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jyuushi, </span>
  <em>nyanko</em>
  <span>! I was wondering where you two went. You disappeared so quickly! Did kitty need a private moment? Do you think kitty can eat candy?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m surprised you managed to stop talking long enough to graduate.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With her eyes wide with surprise, shock and confusion, Michiko spins around in circles looking for the unfamiliar voice before she settles on the small face of the black cat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eh? </span>
  <em>
    <span>Nyanko</span>
  </em>
  <span>, was that you? Jyuushi-nii, did you know kitty could talk?!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes. Mikko, the name of this ‘kitty’ is Shihouin Yoruichi, and in her true form, Shihouin-san is the Onmitsukidou Chief, and Captain of the Gotei’s Second Division.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <b>
    <em>Uso</em>
  </b>
  <span>! Why would kitty allow me to chase them around if they were truly Captain Shihouin Yoruichi-sama?!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I honestly didn’t expect that to be her first question. Guess that means you win our little wager, ‘Jyuushi-nii’. Whether you believe it or not doesn’t really matter, little Michiko. I am indeed Shihouin Yoruichi, and were this not such a public place I would, rather reluctantly, revert to my ‘standard’ form to prove it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’ve never worried about such things before, Yoruichi-san!” objected Shunsui.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Regardless, that’s not why I am here. Jyuushirou, you have the scroll?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jyuushirou nods and pulls a scroll from the sleeve of his haori, but hesitates before handing it to Michiko. “Are we not waiting for—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” she stated plainly. “Michiko, this scroll is a gift that I hope you’ll appreciate more than that box of </span>
  <em>
    <span>higashi</span>
  </em>
  <span> Shunsui got for you. It is from the three of us, plus an anonymous fourth party. Go ahead and open it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With hands shaking slightly with trepidation, Michiko carefully peels the wax seal from the scroll and unfurls it before reading the first sentence out loud. “‘By decree of the Council of Central Forty-Six’…what is this?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Read the rest, Mikko-chan! I promise that it is </span>
  <em>
    <span>very</span>
  </em>
  <span> good news.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay…‘the Council of Central Forty-Six hereby exonerates Shin’ou graduate Fujimori Michiko of the double murder of Hamasaki Gorou and Iwata Hayato, of which she had previously been acquitted by Captain Commander Yamamoto ‘Genryuusai’ Shigekuni two years prior to this ruling,” her voice began to crack. “The aforementioned crime will be wiped from all of Fujimori Michiko’s official records, thus returning them to their previously pristine condition. This unanimous verdict has been reached following a petition submitted by Gotei Thirteen Captains Ukitake Jyuushirou and Kyouraku Shunsui in addition to two unnamed supporters’!? Did you really do this for me? Why?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why?! She really has no idea,” muttered Yoruichi as she jumped from Jyuushirou’s shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mikko, we did this because we love and care for you. Whilst your acquittal did allow you to remain here at the Academy and complete your studies, it would have completely ruined your chances of ever standing among us as a Captain.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you really think I could make Captain someday? I mean, I know I have graduated quickly, and I already have my zanpakutou…wait, this said </span>
  <em>
    <span>two</span>
  </em>
  <span> unnamed supporters. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Nyanko</span>
  </em>
  <span>-sama mentioned an anonymous fourth party, so that would…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Think she’ll figure it out before we all keel over from old age?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“…Central Forty-Six uses the Onmitsukidou to collect evidence, but if they found out that </span>
  <b>
    <em>Nyanko-taichou</em>
  </b>
  <span> had signed the petition…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Nyanko-taichou</span>
  </em>
  <span>?! Yeesh, you boys are lucky she’s so damn cute.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her head almost touches her knees as she bows in front of the feline. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Captain Shihouin-sama, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping Jyuushi-nii and Shuu-kun! I would very much like to hug you, but that would be rather inappropriate considering your station. I would also like to thank this mysterious fourth person, but I’m sure they have their own reasons for remaining anonymous.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I did indeed,” said a new voice from behind her, “but the secret is out; my father has friends in the Compound, and they informed him of the petition. He confronted me this morning. Fujimori Michiko, I have heard much about you from my son. I am Kuchiki Soujyun.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lieutenant Kuchiki-sama was the second anonymous supporter? My sincerest gratitudes to you, Kuchiki-sama!” She was getting dizzy from bowing so deeply and frequently.<br/></span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There is really no need for all of that, young Michiko. I was happy to help—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If the cat’s out of the bag you may as well tell the whole story, Soujyun.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shunsui chuckles at Yoruichi’s choice of phrasing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right. Fujimori-san, this petition for your exoneration was originally my idea. Two years ago, shortly after Commander Yamamoto-sama acquitted you, Byakuya’s involvement in your horrendous ordeal was confirmed to my father and I. He told me that he has loved you since the very first day he saw you. Initially, I had planned to petition this exoneration because if that acquittal had remained on your record…well, I wouldn’t want to scare you away, but it would have prevented you and Byakuya from becoming man and wife.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He was gonna attempt to do it on his own, but I convinced him otherwise and suggested reaching out to these two,” Yoruichi added.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Indeed. Fortunately enough, Ukitake-sama discovered the rather unusual ruling that would have prevented you from rising beyond the rank of a Third Seated Officer, and I quickly agreed that that should be the precedent upon which the petition was filed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kuchiki-sama, I will not lie to you and say that I love Byakuya as much as he loves me, but I do truly care for him very much. He saved me that night just as much as my zanpakutou did, and I consider myself very fortunate that he has continued to walk at my side. Uhm, if you will still not allow me to express my gratitude, then would you please take some </span>
  <em>
    <span>higashi</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Gladly,” he said with a smile as he plucked a green candy in the shape of a camellia flower from the box. “Congratulations, young Fujimori-san, on your graduation and your exoneration. I look forward to seeing you reach your full potential.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Yoroshikuoneigaishimasu - a very polite and formal way of introducing oneself. Translates roughly to 'please treat me well'/'I look forward to working with you'.<br/>Nyanko - kid speak meaning 'kitty'.<br/>Goshikitou Higashi - 'Five coloured candies' are also five different flavours - pickled plum (pink colour), japanese mint (green colour), cinnamon (orange-ish colour, yuzu (citrus, yellow colour), and ginger (also pale orange/brown colour). Come in very pretty patterns &amp; shapes.<br/>Haguro Tonbo - lit. 'Iron drink dragonfly'.<br/>Uso - can be translated a number of ways, including: 'lie'/'falsehood'/'unbelievable'/'no way!'<br/>Nyanko-taichou - combination of 'kitty' with the honorific used for captain (taichou translates as 'captain'). Lit. 'Captain Kitty'. </p><p>P.S. You can read a little bit about Michiko's childhood playing with Yoruichi (unknowingly) in 'When Kaien met Michiko', available from my list of works!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Michiko's First Day in Seireitei</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which Michiko encounters a villain in Seireitei.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>We're nearing the end! <br/>As always, remember to scroll down to the end notes for translations of any romanji used throughout the chapter.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Autumn winds sweep leaves across Seireitei’s sunrise when Michiko excitedly dresses in her shihakushou for the first time. She had immediately asked to have one similar to what Lieutenant Yadoumaru wears with the shortened hakama, and she had quickly fallen in love with the increased maneuverability. She had also needed to make several adjustments to the sleeves on her kosode, after noticing that her zanpakutou blades were either visible or not able to release properly from the chains that attached them to her forearms. What she had ended up with was sleeves that had large bell-shaped ends, which came with the extra benefit of covering her hands almost entirely.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The very first thing she does is explore. Knowing that she has many hours before her duties would officially begin, she runs laps around the compound of the Eighth Division just as she had run laps around the grounds of the Academy until just a few months previously. Sadness pangs in her heart when she realises that she would no longer have her early morning meetings with her sweet Byakuya, but she keeps running with the same smile on her face at the mere thought of seeing him later that day.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There are no trees within the compound, so Michiko instead scrambles up onto the low hanging rooftops of the storehouses before using her shunpo to reach the outer walls. At this time of the morning, the only sounds are her feet upon the shingles and the whistling winds. When her hair sweeps across her eyes, she keeps running along the thin wall without bothering to brush it away; with the frequent gusts of wind, her attempts would be in vain. Regardless, she soon realises that she doesn’t even need to open her eyes to know exactly where she is. With her smile growing even wider, she decides to make a blindfold for the next morning.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A sudden clapping from nearby almost sends Michiko tumbling from the wall as she comes to a stop and looks for the origin. Below her, and on the outside of the compound, stands a tall man sporting an adjutant’s band on his forearm.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Impressive performance, little one.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Michiko jumps from the wall but keeps her distance from the unfamiliar Lieutenant.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cat got your tongue? You must be fresh from the Academy if you do not yet know me, or indeed how to conduct yourself around a Lieutenant. At the very least you should be bowing, little shinigami-chan.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She dips into a bow, “Please excuse my insolence, Lieutenant-sama.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmph. Much better. I will one day wear the haori, so you would be wise to remember my name. I am Aizen Sousuke, future Captain of the Fifth Division. Now tell me yours.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fujimori Michiko, Fifth-seat Officer in the Eighth Division. </span>
  <em>
    <span><strong>Yoroshikuonegaishimasu</strong>.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Yoroshiku.</span>
  </em>
  <span> I recall your name being mentioned several times following the double murder at the Academy. Tell me, why did you kill them? Were you hungry for power, or was it infamy that drove you to commit such a heinous act?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The girl’s zanpakutou acted in her defence,” called out a voice from above them. Shihouin Yoruichi jumps down from the roof before continuing. “I think you should hurry back to your quarters now, Lieutenant Aizen Sousuke, before she shows you how those boys died.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Captain Shihouin-sama! Thank-you very much for your assistance.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You should watch out for that one, little Michiko.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, I know. Ryuuko warned me about him as soon as I jumped down from the wall, but I found myself unable to withdraw from his presence. All I could do was send out my reiatsu and hope that it would either send him away, or bring someone else here. I’m very glad you came along when you did, Shihouin-sama.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yoruichi observes the girl and her reiatsu with narrowed eyes. “Your reiatsu…you’re saying that was deliberate?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do all shinigami not do the same?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No. We can consciously decrease our reiatsu to avoid being noticed, or ramp it up to the point that it distorts the air around us if we need to demonstrate our strength, but you did something else entirely just now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, it was not just a coincidence that you came when you did?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It seems that Shunsui and Jyuushirou don’t exaggerate when they speak of you after all. How curious. It was not a coincidence that brought me here, Michiko. It was you and your rather interesting reiatsu technique. Perhaps I should’ve pushed a bit harder to have you join me over in the Onmitsukidou!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~*~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Michiko spends the rest of the morning puzzling over the strange Lieutenant’s question, as well as what Shihouin Yoruichi had said about her reiatsu technique. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Whatever it was that she did that morning, it had felt entirely natural to her; it had definitely been a conscious effort, and one that took a lot of focus, but it was entirely effortless at the same time. She had simply imagined her reiatsu reaching out in all directions like invisible tendrils. She had put the largest tendril in between her and the man called Aizen Sousuke and focused solely upon it, not wanting to risk potentially making eye-contact with him, but when he had asked her that horrible question…she had been very close to wrapping that reiatsu tendril around his neck, or perhaps giving it razor-sharp edges, or even Byakko’s iron-like jaws to rip his throat out as he had done to those two boys at the Academy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A man’s voice drags her from her thoughts. “Fifth Seat Fujimori-dono, we have completed our patrol route. Did you have any questions or concerns about it? The streets of Seireitei can be rather confusing, after all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are they? I found it all rather simple, uhh, Yasu…Yasoda?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am Fourth Seat Officer Yasuba Masaru.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yasoba! Like the noodles? </span>
  <b>
    <em>Okashii~</em>
  </b>
  <span>. Must we really walk all the way back, or can we use shunpo? You do know how to shunpo, don’t you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Y-yes, of course I can,” he stuttered, wringing his hands together, “but it really would be best to walk and make sure you can do the route alone.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sure I’ll cope! Besides, I was rather hoping to do some training before lunch.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lunch? We just had breakfast before we came out, Fujimori-dono.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really? That felt like so long ago. Is there such a thing as a second breakfast?”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Yoroshikuonegaishimasu - polite++ way of introducing oneself. Translates to 'please treat me well'/'I look forward to working with you'. Similarly, Yoroshiku is a shortened and less polite version.<br/>Okashii - strange; odd; funny; peculiar, etc.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. The Captaincy Exam</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>We don't know a lot about what happens during a captaincy exam, so I've taken many liberties for this chapter!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span> Somewhere inside the compound for Division One, Michiko begs her heart to stop pounding against her chest as three haori-clad figures arrange themselves on cushions in front of her in the windowless chamber.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The captaincy exam for candidate Fujimori Michiko, who currently holds the position of Fifth Seat officer for Division Eight, will now commence. Captains Unohana Retsu of Division Four, and Shihouin Yoruichi of Division Two, do you agree to witness this examination?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We do,” stated Captain Unohana.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thirteenth Division Captain Ukitake Jyuushirou has requested that this exam and its outcome should not go beyond the walls of this chamber until such time that he is unable to continue in his duties as Captain. This is highly unusual, so I will ask again. Captains, do you agree to bear witness to the examination and keep all knowledge to yourselves?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They both agree with a nod.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Very well. It is not just Captain Ukitake’s request for secrecy that is unusual here. The candidate only officially began her duties here in Seireitei three months ago, following her early graduation from Shin’ou. I would ask the candidate to explain why we are here today.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank-you, Commander Yamamoto-sama. Before graduating from the Academy, my zanpakutou taught me how to release them to their primary states of release. This process began almost immediately after I first forged my blades.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Show us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a nod, Michiko raises her arms to the sides and flicks her wrists, calling her dual zanpakutou from the chains that attach them to her forearms. She grips them where the chains attach to the pommels in order to show the different colours of the hilts. “The left blade, with the blue hilt, is where Seiryuu resides. Byakko inhabits the right blade, with the red hilt. The distinction is relevant to their released states.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Commander Yamamoto gestures with his hands to signal a further demonstration.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“With Seiryuu’s primary release,” blue reiatsu, the same shade as the hilt of the zanpakutou, emanates from the blade as she speaks and wraps around the blade. “I can increase my capabilities in kidou and kaidou dramatically, as well as in reiatsu manipulation to a lesser degree.” When the length of the zanpakutou is completely enveloped in reiatsu, the transformation begins. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It starts with the lengthening of the hilt in her hand, pushing the steel of the edged weapon further to one end and shortening it significantly. The chain that links it to her arm shifts to run down the length of the extended hilt, and the zanpakutou now resembles a short polearm. In her kneeling position, the tip of the bladed end reaches her forehead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her demonstration and explanation continues. “With Byakko’s release, I can identify the strengths and weaknesses of my opponent, and my attack speed and power also increase. As well as this, I can become completely undetectable.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Similarly to how she had activated the shikai release of her first blade, the second zanpakutou glows with crimson red energy that creeps along the edge of the steel and wraps around it entirely. The transformation once more begins with the lengthening of the hilt and the shifting of the length of steel, but instead of shortening, it curves to have a lethal edge similar to a scimitar. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“More recently, we discovered that both of these releases have an additional stage. With the command phrase ‘sharpen’, followed by either ‘wings of the azure dragon’, or ‘claws of the white tiger’, the called upon spirit will extend their influence and inhabit both blades, causing a secondary transformation. If Seiryuu dominates, wings appear and her polearm lengthens. When Byakko dominates, I gain a tail and his glaive gains a second bladed edge at the other end. ”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And you are able to freely move between these releases,” Retsu prompted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Certainly. It can reduce the time for which I will maintain control of the transformations, but I can switch between them should the need arise.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yoruichi’s eyes dance between both of the transformed blades. “How long can you maintain these manifestations?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“At first I found that I tired much quicker with Byakko’s domination compared with Seiryuu’s, but I am now able to maintain both domination releases for upwards of two hours.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And the main reason why we are here today is because you have seemingly acquired bankai. Is this correct?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It is. </span>
  <strong>
    <em>In’you Tenshi Ryuuko</em>
  </strong>
  <span> has three forms; ‘wings of the royal dragon’, ‘claws of the golden tiger’, and ‘united blades’. The first two can be released simultaneously or individually.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And what about the third? Do you need to first initiate the bankai releases for the individual blades?” Those were just two of the questions circling Yoruichi’s mind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No. </span>
  <b>
    <em>Kumi awase yaiba</em>
  </b>
  <span> can be released immediately from their sealed states.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And yet there is still something that has been omitted thus far.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The omission was not intentional, Captain Commander. Since mastering shikai, I have been able to freely materialise the spirits of Seiryuu and Byakko. However, they have been communicating with me since the morning after they first appeared.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Communicating?” Retsu repeated, seeking clarification.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes. I have a constant psychic connection with them. They hear my thoughts and feel my emotions. They can tell me if someone is trustworthy, or if I should avoid them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Such as Lieutenant Aizen, back on your first morning,” recalled Yoruichi.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Indeed. Seiryuu warned me that I should avoid making eye-contact with him and his zanpakutou, Kyouka Suigetsu, at all costs. Your zanpakutou have also noticed this, Captains.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You are implying that your zanpakutou can freely communicate with the spirit of another shinigami!?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, Commander. It is how I know the name of each zanpakutou that I have encountered so far. Lieutenant Aizen never told me the name of his zanpakutou, and I have not heard it spoken by anyone other than Ryuuko.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have heard enough. The exam will conclude following a full demonstration of your bankai’s ‘united blades’ form. It is time that I saw for myself just how good you are.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>For visual representations of what the two shikai releases might look like, I suggest using your preferred search engine to look at 'Yari' and 'Bisentou' weapons.<br/>In'you Tenshi Ryuuko - the full name of Michiko's bankai, translates roughly to 'Cosmic Dual Forces of the Celestial Dragon and Tiger'.<br/>Kumi awase yaiba - 'united blades', as transliterated in the dialogue.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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